Mining giant Rio Tinto and global engineering group Sandvik are partnering to co-develop the next generation of autonomous open-pit drilling technology.
The partnership will integrate Sandvik’s i-series surface drill rigs with the Rio Tinto Autonomous Drilling System (Rio Tinto ADS), combining Sandvik’s flagship AutoMine automation platform with Rio Tinto’s experience in remote operations.
The initial phase of the collaboration will target support drilling activities in open-pit mining operations, with plans to scale the technology into broader production environments.
Under the agreement, the two companies will build the necessary interoperability to enable remote, multi-rig and multi-site autonomous operations.
These systems will be managed directly from Rio Tinto’s Operations Centre in Perth, Western Australia, thousands of kilometres away from the mine sites.
The development schedule is set to begin with initial on-rig testing at Sandvik’s dedicated test pit in Finland.
Following successful European trials, the program will transition to live, site-based testing across Rio Tinto’s Western Australian operations to validate performance against strict commercial production targets.
“This joint development reflects Sandvik’s commitment to improving safety and productivity through open, interoperable automation,” said Petri Virrankoski, President of Surface Drilling at Sandvik.
“Building on AutoMine and our i-series platform, we are proud to extend our long-standing relationship with Rio Tinto and support the continued development of autonomous drilling for demanding Pilbara conditions.”
The partnership leverages Rio Tinto’s established track record in heavy industry automation. The miner already utilises heavy remote monitoring and automated control systems for its drills, haul trucks and rail networks across the Pilbara region. This digital operations model is most notably deployed at its technologically advanced Gudai-Darri iron ore mine.
The deployment of the new Sandvik integration is expected to further improve safety by removing operators from hazardous environments, while boosting fleet productivity and equipment longevity.
