Mining companies across Latin America are adopting automation chiefly to boost operational efficiency, a shift underscored by state-owned copper giant Codelco’s strategic alliance with Japanese technology firm NTT DATA, announced on 20 November 2025 in Santiago, Chile. A regional executive survey reveals that 31.08 percent of mining leaders in Chile, Brazil, Peru and Mexico now name operational efficiency as their primary reason for investing in autonomous systems—outpacing cost reduction and worker safety for the first time, according to coverage by Mexico Business News. Together, the alliance and the survey highlight both the ambitions driving Latin America’s digital transformation and the cultural and talent obstacles that threaten to slow progress.
The Primary Drivers Behind Automation Investments
Research commissioned by NTT DATA and conducted with MIT Technology Review in Spanish, titled “Autonomy in the Mining Business: Beyond Technology, the Challenge for Talent and Culture,” documented this shift in priorities. The survey found that operational efficiency commands 31.08 percent of respondent focus, compared with cost reduction at 27.03 percent and safety enhancements at 25.68 percent. Yet implementation outcomes lag expectations. While 28 percent of executives reported that their automation projects fully achieved expected benefits, more than 72 percent acknowledged only partial success—a gap traceable primarily to human and organizational factors rather than technical limitations.
Resistance to organizational change emerged as the leading barrier, cited by 27.54 percent of respondents, while 14.49 percent pointed to a shortage of specialized talent capable of managing advanced systems. Technological reliability, by contrast, was identified as a concern by only 11.59 percent—suggesting that capability gaps outweigh tool limitations.
The Human Element as Central Challenge
Jaime Rebolledo, head of Natural Resources for NTT DATA Chile, articulated the challenge directly: “The fundamental obstacle no longer resides in the tools themselves but rather in preparing personnel to effectively utilize them.” Traditional on-site mining roles are being transformed into positions demanding expertise in data analytics, artificial intelligence and remote operations management. According to the survey, three-quarters of executives doubt their ability to fill these openings, a concern that parallels EY’s “Risks and Opportunities for Mining and Metals 2026” report, which ranks workforce management as the sixth-largest threat to the sector.
Investment Patterns and Resource Allocation
Conservative budgeting compounds the challenge. Forty-three percent of surveyed companies devote just 0.1–0.3 percent of annual revenue to autonomy initiatives, and only 14 percent invest more than 1 percent. This modest funding fostered what analysts call the “pilot trap”—multiple small-scale experimental projects that rarely evolve into mine-wide solutions. Plant operations and planning functions have achieved advanced automation in 32 percent and 28 percent of organizations respectively, while logistics, exploration and other disciplines remain in preliminary digitization phases, indicating an uncoordinated approach to technological modernization.
The Codelco-NTT DATA Partnership
The Codelco-NTT DATA alliance aims to break this pattern. Announced in a joint statement on 20 November 2025, the partnership commits the copper producer and IT integrator to “accelerate digital transformation in mining,” with emphasis on automation, data analytics and sustainability, according to the companies’ press release link. Industry outlet International Mining confirmed the collaboration will deliver “emerging technologies and advanced solutions” to streamline operations and reduce emissions link.
The Chilean miner intends to integrate real-time data platforms, predictive maintenance algorithms and autonomous haulage solutions across its flagship divisions, including El Teniente, Chuquicamata underground and Radomiro Tomic. If successful, the program could provide a blueprint for peers in Brazil’s iron-ore sector, Peru’s copper belt and Mexico’s precious-metals corridor, where efficiency motivations prevail but funding and skills gaps persist.
Decarbonization and Dual Benefits
The alliance reflects mounting pressure to decarbonize. Autonomous drills and truck platooning trim downtime while optimizing fuel burn, and AI-driven process controls reduce energy intensity in concentrator plants. Codelco has committed to cutting direct greenhouse-gas emissions 70 percent by 2030; coupling that target with operational efficiency promises lower costs and a smaller carbon footprint simultaneously.
Scaling Beyond Pilots
Cultural barriers remain the hardest to address. Nearly 28 percent of survey respondents identified change management as their largest obstacle, and workshop feedback indicated that front-line supervisors often feel threatened by algorithm-based decision support. Rebolledo urged miners to “reimagine job design” and link productivity bonuses to technology adoption metrics rather than simply layering new dashboards onto legacy systems.
Companies have begun establishing in-house digital academies, upgrading teleoperation centers and offering flexible work schedules to attract younger professionals, yet progress remains uneven. For NTT DATA, the Codelco partnership validates a central finding from the regional survey: technology availability is improving, but genuine performance gains depend on workforce readiness.
Financial and Regulatory Considerations
Even as commodity prices rebound, many Latin American operators remain cautious about large-scale capital commitments following the pandemic. Partnerships like Codelco’s may offer a solution by allowing miners to convert upfront costs into multi-year service contracts, smoothing cash flow and reducing integration risk. Whether that model spreads beyond Chile may depend on regulatory shifts; proposed royalty increases in Brazil and Peru could tighten margins, while Mexico’s nascent national-lithium initiative may divert public funding toward state ventures, potentially burdening private operators.
The Path Forward
The tension between ambition and capacity will likely define Latin America’s mining automation trajectory. The NTT DATA survey reveals companies convinced that digital tools are essential for efficient, safe and low-carbon extraction, yet constrained by cultural inertia, talent shortages and conservative budgeting. Codelco’s 2025 partnership demonstrates how a flagship miner is attempting to overcome these barriers by aligning with a global technology firm with direct financial incentive to succeed.
If the collaboration meets its targets, it could validate the survey’s central thesis: that operational efficiency, more than cost cutting alone, is the decisive driver of automation adoption. Success would equally underscore a critical lesson—that people, not machines, remain the vital link in converting prototypes into sustained productivity gains. For the region’s miners, the message is clear: improving efficiency through automation is achievable, but only with bolder investment strategies and deeper change-management programs.
Sources
- https://mexicobusiness.news/mining/news/efficiency-drives-mining-automation-adoption-latam-ntt-data
- https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/news/press-release/2025/november/112101
- https://im-mining.com/2025/11/20/codelco-and-ntt-data-sign-future-of-mining-strategic-alliance/
