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A Komatsu 830E haul truck at a mine site in WA\u2019s Pilbara iron ore mining industry. Credit: Paul Farey\/Shutterstock.com.<\/p>\n
Global mining equipment fleets are booming, with GlobalData projecting that there will be almost 171,000 machines active across mines globally by 2030. Alongside this growth, automation is accelerating as surface mines seek to stay competitive, safe and efficient amid mounting productivity demands.<\/p>\n
Nowhere is this change more evident than in China \u2013 with the country boasting the world\u2019s largest fleet of autonomous or autonomous-ready haulage trucks. <\/p>\n
However, automation is no longer limited to haulage, with driverless drills, dozers and other support equipment rapidly entering the mix \u2013 and major players like BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue pushing the limits of mining automation.<\/p>\n
As of July 2025, GlobalData\u2019s mines and projects database shows China has 2,108 autonomous trucks and drills in opearation, up from 562 in July 2024. Australia has 1173 machines, 18% more than last year.<\/p>\n
As autonomous technologies become more widespread, we look at some of the projects setting the pace.<\/p>\n
More machines, more automation<\/p>\n
Amit Kumar, mining project manager at GlobalData, Mining Technology\u2018s parent company, says that while mine automation has been thrust increasingly into the spotlight in recent years, it is a process that has been happening for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cAutomation in surface mining has been happening since the mid-2000s, primarily with the aim of enhancing the safety of personnel and increasing the efficiency and productivity of mining operations,\u201d Kumar says.<\/p>\n
The trend is largely being seen with haul trucks and drills \u2013 with the roll out of autonomous trucks alone seeing an eightfold increase<\/a> since 2020. According to Kumar, Oceania is second only to the broader Asia-Pacific region in terms of active autonomous equipment.<\/p>\n \u201cGlobalData is tracking 4,000 surface autonomous trucks and drills operating across global surface open-pit mines, with Oceania making up 29% of this figure,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are also some retrofit efforts for dozers, shovels and wheel loaders, but these remain less common.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s leadership in mining automation is underpinned by a proactive regulatory approach. Western Australia (WA) introduced one of the world\u2019s first codes of practice for autonomous mining in 2015, paving the way for commercial deployment a year later. New South Wales (NSW) followed in 2020, and Queensland in 2022, with guidelines focusing on training, risk management and operational integrity.<\/p>\n Now, Australia is home to many mine sites that rely on automated machines. Nick Jenkins, director at telecommunications infrastructure company Streamline Connect, tells Mining Technology that demand for this equipment is only expected to continue growing.<\/p>\n \u201cAutonomy has significantly improved efficiency across the mining sector \u2013operations are now faster, smarter and more data-driven,\u201d he explains. \u201cOver the past three to four years, AI has been increasingly leveraged to optimise truck routes, identify the most efficient haul roads and enhance overall site performances.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is no longer just about having a better network infrastructure,\u201d Jenkins adds. \u201cIndustry leaders in the Pilbara, WA, are at the forefront of integrating advanced technology into every layer of their operations.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s leading autonomous mining projects<\/p>\n Autonomous mining technology is hardly new in Australia, with Rio Tinto one of the earliest pioneers.<\/p>\n The company first launched autonomous haul trucks<\/a> at its Yandicoogina and Nammuldi mines back in 2016 \u2013 making it the first in the world to use driverless trucks to transport iron ore. Since then, its autonomous fleet has transported just under five billion tonnes of material across ten sites in Australia.<\/p>\n Mining\u2019s autonomous fleet keeps growing, with several deals over the past year bringing automated drilling equipment to mines.<\/p>\n At the beginning of this year, BHP signed a deal<\/a> with Swedish OEM Epiroc to deploy its Pit Viper autonomous surface drills across its Pilbara iron ore mine, with deliveries schedule for the fourth quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n The fleet features automatic bit-changing technology that allows drill bits to be replaced at the press of a button, with the whole system monitored and controlled remotely from a facility more than 1,100km away in Perth.<\/p>\n Epiroc\u2019s autonomous drills were also chosen for Fortescue\u2019s Pilbara operations. Under a A$350m ($220m) deal signed in April 2025, around 50 of the cable and battery-electric drill rigs are to be delivered by 2030. Again, these rigs will be fully autonomous and controlled remotely from an operations centre in Perth, this time more than 1,500km away.<\/p>\n Additionally, in late 2024, Fortescue struck a landmark deal<\/a> with Liebherr worth $2.8bn (SFr2.28bn), procuring 360 autonomous battery\u2011electric haul trucks, 55 electric excavators and 60 dozers for its Pilbara operations.<\/p>\n Yet despite the growing number of use cases, uptake is not without its challenges. Nellaiappan Subbiah, product manager of rotary drilling at Sandvik Mining, cautions that adoption of automation by itself is not enough \u2013 companies need to have a strong foundation to support rollout.<\/p>\n \u201cAutomating an already inefficient operation won\u2019t solve the problem; in fact, it can make things worse,\u201d says Subbiah. \u201cTo fully unlock the benefits of automation, it is essential to have the right foundational infrastructure in place.\u201d<\/p>\n Connecting mines<\/p>\n According to Subbiah, mine sites need \u201creliable uninterrupted network coverage across the entire site\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis includes high-resolution video camera capabilities to stream real-time visuals to the remote operations centre, integration of the entire fleet \u2013 not just drills \u2013 into a unified fleet management system and the workforce themselves,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n With increasingly smart mines, connectivity is more important than ever before, although innovators are already entering the field to meet this challenge.<\/p>\n
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