# Sandvik partners with Rio Tinto to develop autonomous surface drill rigs

Sandvik partnered with Rio Tinto to jointly develop and integrate Sandvik i-series surface drill rigs with Rio Tinto's Autonomous Drilling System, combining their automation technologies.

- Type: Partnership
- Announced: 2026-06-22
- Where: Perth Operations Center, Western Australia, Australia
- Status: announced
- Products: i-series surface drill rigs, Autonomous Drilling System
- Sectors: [Mining Equipment](https://endata.com/sectors/mining-equipment.md)

## Companies

- [Rio Tinto](https://endata.com/companies/4215.md) (partner)
- [Sandvik](https://endata.com/companies/6190.md) (partner)

## Sources

- [e-mj.com](https://www.e-mj.com/departments/suppliers-report/sandvik-sells-fleet-partners-with-rio-tinto/), 2026-06-22: "Sandvik partnered with Rio Tinto to jointly develop and integrate Sandvik i-series surface drill rigs with Rio Tinto's Autonomous Drilling System"

---
Data from Endata (https://endata.com/). Announcements are summarized from public sources and may be incomplete; check the linked originals.