Codelco is accelerating its innovation and digitalization strategy through partnerships with technology companies to improve productivity, operational safety and sustainability.
The Chilean mining company, which since 2025 has had an artificial intelligence and advanced analytics strategy to accelerate technological innovation, carried out around 20 initiatives last year and plans to double that figure in 2026.
Codelco has relied on public-private partnerships and, as of the end of 2025, had 42 agreements and 13 memorandums of understanding (MOU) in force with universities, technology centers, and players in the technology industry, among others.
“The challenges we face today in safety, productivity and sustainability are increasingly complex and cannot be solved in isolation. The way to address them is through collaboration with the different stakeholders that make up the ecosystem, and this is part of the strategic vision that we are strengthening at the Corporation,” said in February Julio Díaz, vice president of Mining Resources, Development and Innovation at Codelco, in the context of the signing of an MOU with Schneider Electric.
The initiative will make it possible to innovate, co-create and eventually implement advanced technological solutions throughout the entire lifecycle of mining projects, from engineering and proof of concept testing to operation, maintenance and asset optimization.
The memorandum will make it possible to move forward in key areas such as the automation of industrial processes and electrical systems, advanced analytics, process optimization, digital twins, energy management and predictive monitoring of emissions, among other areas.
The MOU will have an initial term of two years, with the possibility of extension.
In March, Codelco and Microsoft signed an agreement that expands a 27-year collaboration and includes the evaluation of joint initiatives in artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, automation and digital security, among other areas.
Among the areas of work, intensive use of data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence is planned to improve decision-making; the development of more autonomous and safer operations; the automation of critical processes; the strengthening of cybersecurity; and the promotion of technological training programs for workers and teams.
The agreement with Microsoft will be valid for 18 months.
The alliances signed in early 2026 add to a long list of collaborations between Codelco and technological institutions and companies on innovation issues.
In 2025 alone, the company activated 14 collaboration agreements.
Codelco has agreements with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Sustainable Minerals Institute – International Centre of Excellence Chile of the University of Queensland, and the Federico Santa María Technical University.
It has also signed partnerships with high pulsed power technology company I-Pulse and Japanese company NTT Data.
With Huawei, Codelco has an agreement to explore solutions in connectivity at worksites, electrification, and the use of artificial intelligence to automate processes.
Satellite technology and AI to protect biodiversity
A pilot program carried out with the Chilean technology company Lemu in the Roblería del Cobre de Loncha National Reserve, located in the area of influence of the El Teniente division, and in the Campiche Wetland, in the surroundings of the Ventanas division, made it possible to determine biodiversity conservation indices.
The system used high-precision satellite images, artificial intelligence, and applied science to strengthen the corporation’s environmental management in its areas of influence.
In the case of Roblería de Loncha, the LemuRank indicator —global conservation priority index (0-100%) that identifies areas with high ecological value— returned values between 53% and 89%, with an average of 71%, which highlights the need to strengthen protection actions.
Likewise, more than 65 species were identified, long-term improvements in plant density were observed, and an increase in the carbon stock between 2001 and 2023 was confirmed, validating the area’s role as a carbon sink and climate change mitigator.
The Roblería del Cobre de Loncha National Reserve covers 5,780 hectares in central Chile, while the Campiche Wetland has 515 hectares.
(The original version of this content was written in Spanish)
