To expand its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and help customers optimise their mining operations, Komatsu announced today its intent to acquire Octodots Analytics, a Chile-based digital solutions provider.

The announcement comes as the company debuts its new Modular ecosystem, a bold vision for the future of mine site optimisation and data sharing, at MINExpo 2024, in Las Vegas, it says. Building upon Komatsu’s DISPATCH fleet management system, the Modular ecosystem is a set of interconnected platforms and products designed to simplify existing workflows.

“Our ecosystem is designed to empower customers to optimise decision making at the machine, mine site and enterprise levels,” Jason Fletcher, SVP Mining Technology Solutions, Komatsu, said. “Octodots’ expertise and solutions map perfectly to what we’ve created and we are excited about the opportunities to incorporate their products and capabilities into our offering.”

Since 2017, Octodots Analytics has been developing and commercialising advanced digital solutions for industries including mining, construction, forestry, transportation and more. The company’s multi-disciplinary team has particular expertise in three key areas: mining engineering, transportation and data science.

The Modular ecosystem will provide mining companies the ability to connect data used across their operations, including data from Komatsu products as well as third-party technologies and equipment from other manufacturers.