Vancouver-based Ideon Technologies has signed a five-year enterprise agreement with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining companies, marking a major milestone in its mission to solve one of mining’s toughest challenges: geological uncertainty — not knowing exactly what lies beneath the surface.
The enterprise partnership represents the first large-scale adoption of Ideon’s REVEAL™ subsurface intelligence platform by a Tier-1 mining company and underscores growing demand for deep-tech innovation in the global mining sector. By reducing uncertainty in the subsurface, mining companies can move faster, unlock more value from their investments, and accelerate access to the critical minerals essential for the energy transition.
Under the agreement, Ideon will deploy its REVEAL™ platform across six of Rio Tinto’s largest global operations, spanning multiple continents and addressing high-value challenges across the exploration and production value chain. The technology will complement Rio Tinto’s existing investments in Remote Operations Centres (ROCs), automation, and digital transformation to improve performance, reduce costs, and maintain the highest safety standards.
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The REVEAL™ platform combines the power of cosmic-ray muons — subatomic particles created by supernova explosions — with advanced geophysical sensing, multi-physics data integration, and AI-driven analytics. Together, these tools generate high-resolution, real-time 3D models of the Earth’s subsurface, allowing mining companies to identify, map, and extract ore bodies faster, safer, and with greater confidence. The result: faster targeting, shorter development timelines, reduced operational risk, and a smaller environmental footprint.
The new partnership builds on several years of collaboration between Ideon and Rio Tinto, including a successful deployment at Bingham Canyon, one of the world’s largest copper mines. There, Ideon’s muon-based imaging improved geological models, enhanced production reconciliation, and informed operational planning — early proof of the platform’s ability to unlock significant value at scale.
“Global demand for critical minerals is surging, driven by energy resilience, AI infrastructure, and geopolitical imperatives,” said Gary Agnew, Co-Founder and CEO of Ideon Technologies. “Yet the way we map and recover these resources hasn’t fundamentally changed in decades. The $12-trillion supply gap can’t be solved by incremental improvement — it requires breakthrough technologies and bold leadership. Rio Tinto is demonstrating both.”
“Our partnership goes far beyond technology trials,” Agnew added. “By embedding our platform directly into Rio Tinto’s operations, we’re enabling faster, higher-confidence exploration decisions and re-engineering workflows for the mine of the future. That’s how long-term value will be created in critical-mineral exploration — scalable, intelligent, and deeply integrated.”
The partnership further cements Ideon’s position as a global leader in subsurface intelligence and highlights Vancouver’s growing influence as a deep-tech hub where AI, clean energy, and advanced materials innovation intersect to power the future of sustainable resource development.
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