Collaboration for a Technological Future
Chile’s innovators show strength in unity
Landmark collaborations in the industry at the beginning of 2025 are not limited to major mining companies like BHP and Codelco. Mining is an industry rich in data and technology, and AI and machine learning have the opportunity to harness this data and utilize it for the betterment of everyone. Tech companies are offering solutions that allow mining companies access to data and make this available across equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
From new technology to new facilities
Seequent, the company that created Leapfrog Geo, launched its Evo platform in 2024, which aims to standardize disparate data sources by creating its own ecosystem. The platform uses open-source coding to allow community development and further collaboration between the mining industry. “This collaboration needs to encompass mining companies, technology providers, OEMs, and governments to accelerate regulation and offer visibility to various mining stakeholders regarding the potential of mining projects,” said Ignacio Torresi, executive vice president, Latin America, Seequent.
Other companies are also capitalizing on the opportunity that dispersed data constitutes. Thus, using digital twins and data analytics to optimize short-term planning, operational control and decision making, TIMining is noticing the impact of data silos and the lack of past collaboration in the mining tech space. “Data silos represent a significant challenge in the mining industry. We specialize in capturing and interpreting the dynamic geological landscape, tracking rock extraction and mine geometry evolution. This ability to collect and interpret complex geometric data is a capability that most large software suites struggle to accomplish,” noted Phillip Whatmore, CEO of the start-up.
Likewise, Elio Céspedes, general manager of Latin America at Datamine, declared: “The next five years are going to be the years of integrating and consolidating data quality. It is pointless to use AI without verifying the reliability of its underlying data. Integration will also be key, with many key players accepting the need to cooperate with the rest. Databases are getting standardized so that products and systems can be integrated, regardless of their manufacturer. We are also working in that direction.”
ABB witnessed notable growth in automation and digitalization over the past 12 months. The company joined forces with EPIROC to support decarbonization efforts in mining technologies. “I think it is important that when challenges arise, we work together as an industry to find the best technical or economic solution. Whether it is an OEM product, an electrical product, or something else, automation and digitization should be linked not only to provide greater synergy within a project but also to monitor how an asset operates over time,” highlighted Jorge Abraham, local division manager, process industries for ABB’s office in Santiago..
Technology company Veracio witnessed a change in attitude towards technology in 2024, transitioning from curiosity to implementation. The company signed a strategic partnership with Bureau Veritas with projects at Codelco’s Ministro Hales mine. “By integrating Veracio’s technology into Bureau Veritas’ existing services, mining companies can more readily adopt our solutions, benefiting from Bureau Veritas’ industry credibility. This collaboration has the potential to drive faster and more widespread adoption of our technology in the mining sector,” said Eduardo Molina, vice president, commercial, Latin America for Veracio.
Concerning innovation related to mining processes, Ceibo’s technology allows for the profitable extraction of ores that would be otherwise unfeasible. “Being able to leach sulfides that are below oxides, especially those that are deeper, presents enormous value to society and mining companies. More mining companies are looking to explore medium-sized assets, even large mining companies are now looking to own multiple smaller assets, as these can be easier to develop and operate,” elaborated Cristóbal Undurraga, co-founder and CEO of Ceibo. The company is representative of a larger trend consisting of the exploitation of formerly idle ores or even waste materials through cutting-edge technology, allowed by rising metal prices. The company announced in 2024 a partnership with Glencore at Lomas Bayas, and has harvested their first cathodes at their San Gerónimo demonstration plant.
“Lunar mining is part of our company’s activity. Both ice mining at the lunar South Pole and helium-3 mining are part of projects where SK Godelius is working together with people from NASA.”
Fernando Bracco, Founder and CEO, SK Godelius
Fraternity, acquisitions, and integration
2024 has been a busy year for BOSCH Rexroth in Chile, enjoying a growth rate of 30% within the mining sector, providing sensors and control systems that allow enhanced sustainability and efficiency. They have also been proactive in searching for collaboration opportunities with other companies to expand their portfolio. “In Rexroth we are exploring hydrogen technologies in collaboration with partners in Africa and the US. Looking at Chile, our ambition is expanding our overhaul and supply of planetary units, developing new power electric solutions with CtrlX, Hägglunds CBm, QMX and Thunder for heavy duty and 100% variable speed applications,” Marcelo Celis, general manager at BOSCH and Bosch Rexroth, declared.
Cooperating with IT companies is also a rising trend, as Phoenix Contact, a company specialized in automation systems, demonstrates. Cristian Jacobsen, general manager and legal representative of Chile operations for the company, stated: “Phoenix Contact also has energy monitoring and management systems, and we are cooperating with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft to allow programmers to profit from our open software platform to create their own monitoring systems. Through Amazon Web Services, we are now screening all the energy consumption of a mining and a solar power plant.”
This underpins the huge potential regarding collaboration with tech giants, but also in open-source solutions, allowing everyone to play a part in the process of devising a brighter, more efficient future. The company has tripled its size in the last five years, signifying that this is an avenue for growth.
The case of SK Godelius is a model of how these synergies can also be built through acquisitions rather than partnerships. “Part of the advantage that we believe SK Godelius brings to the industry has to do with the Sigdo Koppers group, which has a very deep presence in various stages of the mining value chain, whether in grinding through Magotteaux, in blasting through ENAEX, or in construction through SKIC, also in logistics and services. This, combined with a technology-intensive company like SK Godelius, makes an extraordinarily valuable combination,” as Fernando Bracco, founder and CEO, explained.
Moreover, the company is also working hand-in-hand with NASA and other companies of the Americas towards making lunar mining possible.
“Chile is not just a mining hub, but also a technology development center. Many technologies are tested and deployed here before being used globally. Together, we co-develop solutions that add value. This partnership model positions Chile as a tech leader in the region.”
Norma Vargas, General Manager, Hexagon Chile
In the same vein, Hexagon has been busy acquiring companies whose expertise could complement their products. “Hexagon has acquired several companies not just to sell their products, but to enhance our own technologies through synergy. A good example is our anti-collision systems. Thanks to new sensors from the acquired company Indurad, we are able to automatically stop machines in the event of a collision risk situation. It is not just about integration but improving our technologies through collaboration. Internal teams work together on these enhancements, creating more value and usability for mining operations,” Norma Vargas, general manager of Chile, explained.
The company is investing heavily in products for underground mining, preparing for the anticipated expansion of this mining modality.
The former hints at the possibility that collaboration opportunities are not necessarily limited to private companies, but that there is also immense potential in building bridges with academic and scientific institutions. In this sense, LithoDat, an Australian spatial exploration and data services company, boasts broad agreements with leading academic institutions. Fabian Kohlmann, the company’s managing director, elaborated: “We arranged collaboration agreements with academia by which the IP of what is created rests in our possession. For example, they collaborated with us on paleogeographic reconstructions, enabling users to see where their deposits were located 21 million years ago. This is of great importance both for exploration and geology. We also created EarthBank, a platform where labs and universities can publish their data, which turns us into a publisher, as we can mint DOIs, making their knowledge more accessible and also allowing for its commercialization.”
More companies are taking on this path. Endress+Hauser is a global leader in process optimization, instrumentation and measurement in the mining industry. The company is looking to construct a Customer Experience Center, where clients and universities will be able to test and evaluate new technologies. As well as this inter-company collaboration, Endress+Hauser is optimistic about the future of collaboration between countries in Latin America that will bolster technological adoption. “I think the best thing for mining in Chile is the growth of the industry in other Latin American countries like Ecuador and Argentina because it presents a new opportunity to expand for many Chilean companies,” said David Alaluf, general manager of Chile’s Endress+Hauser office.
“Opening all available data regarding exploration to the public can encourage investments and provide a better understanding of the resources the country has.”
Fabian Kohlmann, Managing Director, LithoDat
WEG, a Brazilian engine manufacturer, also sees cooperation as the way to the future. Boris Urquijo, commercial manager at the firm, declared: “Our direction is clear; we aim to offer broader, integrated solutions by forming strategic collaborations and expanding our offering through innovation. We believe that by staying at the forefront of efficiency, electrification and sustainability we will continue to be a trusted partner for the mining industry in Chile and globally.”
Additionally, the company is also a provider for another rising trend in the mining industry. “We offer Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) that can provide energy backup during outages or fluctuations. They help mines stabilize their operations during disturbances and improve grid independence. Demand for BESS is increasing from mining companies, especially given Chile’s grid challenges,” Cristian Reinoso, Motion Drive manager, added.
On the potential of collaboration through accessing third-party data, Fleet Space Technologies, a space and mineral exploration company, is a seasoned actor. David Henderson, chief growth officer for the Americas, said: “We consider ourselves a multi-physics platform. This means we can ingest data from various sources—drone surveys, satellite imagery, core scanning, lab assays—and combine it with data from our sensors. All of this is processed through Exosphere, where artificial intelligence is used to synthesize, interpret and model the subsurface in real time.”
Closely related is the adoption of agnostic solutions. “The industry is increasingly embracing advanced analytics, predictive technologies, cloud management, and cybersecurity. We view data as a critical asset that must be analyzed to enable better decision-making in operational, process, and optimization contexts. Our approach focuses on providing agnostic solutions that allow mining companies to integrate new technologies without completely replacing their existing infrastructure. We develop technologies that can unite different brands and systems, which is particularly attractive to clients who want to incrementally improve their existing setups,” declared Orlando Lara, regional segment leader for mining minerals and metals at Schneider Electric.
Exploring the prospect of combining VR and AI is Chilean company Minverso. “We see immersive technology as a new interface layer for accessing and understanding operational data. AI already plays a critical role in optimizing industrial processes, and IoT provides vast streams of sensor-based data. However, interpreting that information often relies on complex engineering diagrams or dashboards that are inaccessible to most non-specialists. Our goal is to democratize data interpretation through intuitive and interactive visual interfaces, enabling broader collaboration and faster decision-making, breaking down geographic barriers, and allowing stakeholders from anywhere in the world to view and analyze data in real time,” affirmed Raúl González Guerra, founder and CEO of Minverso.
With this potential, the company, already established in several of the most important mining jurisdictions worldwide, wants to become a key player in mining innovation globally.
Collaborations like this have the potential to help more technologies reach a wider variety of mines. Combined with Chile’s world-renowned expertise in mining and environmental management, equipment and technology companies are set to work together to improve the future of mining and work towards a net-zero industry in a scenario that many companies point to as being at the technological cutting edge, and a playground for innovation and testing. Patricio Cabezas Bell, country sales manager Chile and Peru of the century-old company Festo, stated: “Chile has become a development platform for mining innovation. What once required manual work is now automated, often remotely. Private investment has been key to this transformation.”
Article header image courtesy of Epiroc