IIT Kharagpur Launches AI Research Centre for Mining Applications

The Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has established a new research centre to develop artificial intelligence tools tailored to the mining industry. The Vikram Sodhi Centre of Excellence for AI-Enabled Geological and Mining Systems will use real mine data to address challenges across exploration, mine planning, mineral processing, predictive maintenance and environmental monitoring.

Mining operations generate large volumes of geological, operational, equipment and environmental data. However, many key decisions rely on fragmented systems that operate in separate data environments. The centre aims to integrate these areas through domain-specific AI trained on actual field conditions rather than generic tools or synthetic datasets.

The centre has received a five-year commitment of 150 million Indian rupees, approximately $1.8 million, from Vikram Sodhi. Sodhi serves as founder of the Sodhi Foundation and Vice Chairman of Mineros S.A., which acts as the centre's inaugural industrial partner.

Initial work will concentrate on environmental monitoring and related governance frameworks. The programme seeks to connect data from geological modeling, equipment performance and water-quality monitoring into a unified decision-support system. Teams will develop AI models aimed at specific, operationally defined problems with an emphasis on deployable solutions.

Partnership with Mineros S.A.

Under a Living Laboratory model announced by Mineros S.A. in April 2026, selected operations in the Bajo Cauca region of Antioquia, Colombia, will serve as sites for field validation of the AI tools. The arrangement is expected to include exchanges among researchers, engineers and doctoral students between India and Colombia.

Early environmental analytics will examine water quality, particulate emissions, geotechnical stability, tailings performance, biodiversity indicators and carbon intensity per metric ton produced. The centre operates within IIT Kharagpur under the Dean of Research and Development and is led academically by faculty.

An external advisory board will offer strategic guidance while research decisions remain with institute faculty. The centre follows a model seen at other IIT institutions, such as the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI at IIT Madras established in 2017.

Success will be evaluated over the next five years based on published research, models tested in field conditions and measurable improvements in safety, maintenance, planning and environmental performance.