Ideon Technologies, a leader in subsurface intelligence worldwide, announced a significant five-year enterprise partnership with Rio Tinto, one of the largest and most innovative mining companies worldwide. This agreement represents a major commitment from both companies to tackle one of mining’s greatest challenges—geological uncertainty, which hampers efforts to quickly and efficiently identify, develop, and recover critical minerals vital for global supply.
By reducing geological uncertainty, mining companies can accelerate operations, increase capital efficiency, lower costs, and bring products to market faster. The less ambiguity there is about what lies beneath the surface, the more value companies can unlock from their investments and the greater the potential for long-term growth.
Ideon will leverage its proprietary REVEAL subsurface intelligence platform to support Rio Tinto’s strategic initiatives across various commodities, including copper and iron ore. These efforts aim to advance Rio Tinto’s vision for the future mine by building on existing investments in remote operations centres (ROCs) and automation, driving operational performance, lowering costs, and maintaining high safety standards.
The REVEAL platform combines cosmic-ray muons—subatomic particles generated by supernova explosions—with cutting-edge geophysical sensing, multi-physics data integration, and AI services. It produces high-resolution, real-time 3D models of the Earth’s subsurface, enabling mining companies to identify, map, characterize, monitor, and extract ore bodies more rapidly and confidently. This leads to quicker targeting, shorter development cycles, reduced operational risks, and a smaller environmental impact.
This collaboration marks the first global application of the Ideon REVEAL™ Platform by a Tier 1 mining company. The initial deployment will cover six of Rio Tinto’s largest operations across different continents, addressing a wide range of high-value operational challenges along the exploration and mining lifecycle.
This announcement follows years of collaboration, including a successful pilot at Bingham Canyon, one of the world’s largest copper mines. There, Ideon’s muon-based imaging enhanced geological models, aligned production data, and supported operational decision-making. The partnership underscores the growing demand for advanced deep-tech solutions to unlock value across industries such as mining, energy, and infrastructure.
Gary Agnew, co-founder and CEO of Ideon, stated: “Global demand for critical minerals is surging, driven by the need for energy resilience, rapid AI infrastructure growth, and geopolitical security. Yet, our methods for mapping and extracting these resources haven’t changed much in decades. The $12 trillion gap in critical mineral supply requires breakthrough technologies, bold leadership, and disciplined execution. Rio Tinto exemplifies all three.”
He concluded: “Our partnership extends beyond technology trials—it's about integrating our platform into Rio Tinto's operations to boost productivity, cut costs, and increase confidence. Embedding our system helps re-engineer workflows, enabling faster, more confident exploration and mining decisions. This scalable, intelligent, and tightly integrated approach drives long-term value in critical mineral development.”
More information is posted on www.RioTinto.com and www.IdIeon.ai
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