Komatsu has entered a strategic technology collaboration with Applied Intuition, a Silicon Valley-based company specialising in vehicle intelligence.
The companies will co-develop a unified software-defined vehicle (SDV) and autonomy platform that will serve as the central brain of Komatsu’s next generation of mining equipment.
“Komatsu is committed to creating value together with our customers, and this collaboration represents a step change in how we bring innovative, high-performance technology to their operations,” says Peter Salditt, president, mining business division, Komatsu and CEO, Komatsu Mining Technologies. “By combining Komatsu’s deep mining expertise with Applied Intuition’s cutting-edge AI and SDV solutions, we’re enabling a future where our equipment continuously evolves to meet customers’ unique mine site needs.”
The jointly developed platform will introduce a new era of machine intelligence through software-defined vehicle architecture that will enable continuous feature delivery over the life of the machine, with native integration of data management, digital security and connected support.
The two companies will also focus on flexible autonomy capabilities ranging from advanced operator assist to full autonomy on a common platform, adaptable across fleets, commodities and operational complexities. Embedded machine learning and AI will support functional enhancements and continuous learning, enabling site-specific optimisation as conditions change.
The enhanced architecture aims to enable faster deployment, simplified support and scalable solutions that extend across mine sizes and geographies. This new flexibility is critical in an industry facing labour shortages, challenging site conditions and rising demand.
“In a world where autonomy is becoming the norm, our goal is to ensure our customers don’t just keep up – they lead,” says Qasar Younis, Applied Intuition co-founder and CEO. “The mining industry is one of the most regulated in the world, and as the bar keeps rising around emissions, human safety and geopolitics, Applied Intuition and Komatsu plan to build the next generation of mining products and redefine modern software product development. The team is looking forward to breaking new ground and digging into the future.”
Image: Komatsu
