In recent years, domestic players specializing in the unmanned driving in mining areas have mushroomed, significantly advancing the development of smart mines in China. Globally, the intelligent transformation of mining industries originated in the United States, followed closely by Japan.
According to incomplete statistics from the New Strategy Low-Speed Automated Driving Industry Research Institute, there are currently over 10 overseas leading unmanned driving companies in mining areas, primarily concentrated in Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. To date, these companies have made significant progress in the technology and application of unmanned driving in mining areas.
Caterpillar
Headquartered in Illinois, it is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction machinery and mining equipment, as well as gas engines and industrial gas turbines. Caterpillar also developed and manufactured the world’s first unmanned mining truck. Representative unmanned mining trucks include the CAT789D, CAT794AC, CAT777, and CAT793D/793F. In 1996, the Cat 777C unmanned mining truck was officially launched. In 2013, the Cat® MineStar™ autonomous system entered commercial use, initially deployed on six unmanned mining trucks.
In November 2023, marking the tenth anniversary of the commercial launch of Caterpillar’s autonomous haulage system, the company announced that it supported 15 customers operating over 620 unmanned trucks in copper, iron, oil sands, coal, and gold mines across three continents: Australia, South America, and North America. These unmanned trucks have transported over 6.3 billion tons of material and traveled over 230 million kilometers without any reported injuries.
In March 2025, the Cat 789D, the market’s first commercially available unmanned water truck, was launched. In July, the Cat 777 transported one million tons of material at the Bull Run Quarry. The company’s financial report for Q1 and Q2 of 2025 showed that sales amount in the first half of the year was approximately $30.8 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 5.19%, and operating profit was approximately $5.439 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 22%.
Komatsu
Headquartered in Tokyo, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction and mining machinery. Its representative unmanned mining trucks include the Komatsu 930E series, the Komatsu 980E series, and the Komatsu 830E series. Komatsu’s first 77-ton unmanned truck was first tested at a Japanese cement company’s quarry, which used radar to detect obstacles and had a maximum operating speed of 36 km/h.
In 2008, it launched the world’s first unmanned dump truck operating system (AHS). In 2016, it introduced a remote-controlled dump truck, claimed to be the world’s first cabin-less unmanned mining truck.
As of May 2025, Komatsu has over 875 unmanned mining trucks worldwide, and its customers have cumulatively transported over 10 billion tons of materials.
In July 2025, Nevada Gold Mines (NGM) deployed the Komatsu FrontRunner AHS system in its fleet of 230-ton and 300-ton dump trucks. In August 2025, Hitachi established a strategic partnership with Pronto to deploy autonomous transport solutions at quarries across North America. In its financial report for Q1 of 2025 (April 1 to June 30), Hitachi reported net sales of 909.5 billion yen, a 5.2% year-on-year decrease from 959.8 billion yen in the same period of 2024. The operating profit was 140.4 billion yen, a 10.6% year-on-year decrease.
Hitachi
Headquartered in Tokyo, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction and mining machinery. Representative unmanned mining trucks include the Hitachi EH5000AC-3 and the Hitachi EH4000AC-3 (AHS system).
In 2013, Hitachi partnered with Australian power company Stanwell Corporation Limited to establish an autonomous driving test site at the Meandu coal mine, approximately 100 kilometers inland from Brisbane in eastern Australia. In 2020, the company partnered with Rajant Corporation, a wireless network provider for Kinetic Meshreg, to deploy an Automated Haulage System (AHS) in an Australian coal mine.
The company’s financial report for Q1 of 2025 (April 1 to June 30) showed revenue of 306.152 billion yen, a 6.7% year-on-year decrease from 328.217 billion yen in the same period of 2024; the net income was 13.4 billion yen, a 49.8% year-on-year decrease.
VOLVO
Headquartered in Gothenburg, it is a leading global truck manufacturer. Representative unmanned mining trucks include the Volvo HX01, Volvo FH, and Volvo VNL.
In 2016, the company released the HX01 cabinless mining truck concept vehicle and began testing unmanned mining trucks in Swedish underground mines. In November 2018, the company launched its first commercial unmanned mining truck project at the Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway. In February 2019, the FH series of unmanned mining trucks were tested at the Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway.
In May 2024, the company released a VNL unmanned truck powered by Aurora software. In December of the same year, it launched autonomous operations in the United States with DHL Supply Chain, powered by purpose-built, production-ready Volvo VNL unmanned trucks.
In May 2025, seven FH unmanned mining trucks were deployed at Brønnøy Kalk, Norway, transporting over one million metric tons of limestone. The company’s financial report for Q1 and Q2 of 2025 showed net sales of SEK 244.7 billion in the first half of the year, a 9.8% year-on-year decrease from SEK 271.4 billion in the same period of 2024.
Epiroc
Headquartered in Stockholm, it is a leading global mining equipment company. Its representative unmanned mining trucks include the Minetruck MT65 MKIII.
In 2018, the company acquired a 31% stake in ASI Mining, initiating its strategic deployment in mining automation. Since 2020, it has partnered with ASI Mining and Australia’s Roy Hill to develop an unmanned mining truck project at the Roy Hill iron ore mine. By March 2023, Roy Hill’s mixed fleet of 96 mining trucks were converted to an unmanned fleet. In July 2024, the company acquired the remaining 66% stake in ASI Mining, further strengthening its presence in mining automation. In July 2025, the company deployed its first Minetruck MT65 MKIII unmanned mining truck at Odyssey mine of Agnico Eagle Mines in Quebec, Canada.
The company’s financial report for Q1 and Q2 of 2025 showed revenue of SEK 30.666 billion in the first half of the year, up approximately 0.04% from SEK 30.654 billion in the same period of 2024.
Sandvik
Headquartered in Stockholm, it is a leading global manufacturer of advanced products. It initiated its mine automation program in 1999.
In 2004, the AutoMine® loading system was first deployed at the El Teniente copper mine in Chile, marking its first real-world application in a mining environment. In 2005, the company achieved the first integrated automation system for a loader and a mining truck at De Beers’ Finsch mine in South Africa. In 2006-2007, Sandvik officially launched its autonomous driving business using the AutoMine® platform. In 2020, it released AutoMine for Trucks, expanding its autonomous driving capabilities to underground and surface mining trucks, enabling cross-terrain transportation.
As of November 2023, the AutoMine® system has deployed over 1,000 units of automated equipment, both underground and surface, at over 100 customer sites. According to the financial report for Q1 and Q2 of 2025, revenue for the first half of the year reached SEK 60.421 billion, a year-on-year increase of approximately 2.4% from SEK 59.001 billion in the same period of 2024.
BelAZ
Headquartered in Gyurbukhin, it is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of specialized mining trucks. Its representative unmanned mining truck includes the BelAZ 75131.
In 2015, it debuted an automated mining truck, using a 78250 truck to load a 75131. At the end of 2018, in collaboration with Russia’s VIST Group, it tested the remote control and unmanned driving capabilities of the BelAZ-751R mining truck at a test site. In May 2019, the BelAZ unmanned mining truck was operated in a 5G cloud network test area at a test site in Zhodino, Belarus. In August of the same year, VIST Group and SUEK tested the BelAZ unmanned mining truck in a mine in Khakassia, Russia. In April 2020, two BELAZ 130-ton unmanned mining trucks were deployed at the Russian coal mining company SUEK-Khakassia LLC. The company also operated 7513R dump trucks at the Abakansky open-pit mine in Chernogorsky, Russia, and planed to roll out unmanned technology on all of its large dump trucks.
Five dump trucks were shipped to Russian customers between March and April 2025.
Scania
Headquartered in Södertälje, Stockholm, it is a Swedish truck and bus manufacturer. Representative unmanned mining trucks include the Scania AXL and G 560 8×4.
In 2011, Scania began developing unmanned truck technology in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. In 2019, Scania officially unveiled its new unmanned concept truck, the “AXL.” In February 2021, Scania conducted its first test of a Level 4 unmanned truck on public roads. In October 2022, it partnered with Rio Tinto to develop more flexible unmanned mining trucks at mines in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In October 2024, it partnered with Australian mining services provider Regroup to launch a fleet of unmanned mining trucks, with plans to deploy the first fleet of 11 G 560 8×4 unmanned rigid dump trucks in the Sub-Pilbara region of Western Australia by the end of 2025. In February 2025, the first batch of unmanned trucks received approval from the Swedish Transport Agency for testing on public roads.
The company’s financial report for Q1 and Q2 of 2025 showed that revenue for the first half of the year was SEK 98.732 billion, a year-on-year decrease of approximately 10.6% from SEK 110.479 billion in the same period of 2024.
ASI Mining
Headquartered in Mendon, Utah, it is an expert in industrial vehicle automation. It first entered the mining automation field in 2006. In 2014, it partnered with Liebherr to develop unmanned dump trucks compatible with ASI’s autonomous command and control platform, MOBIUS. In 2018, Epiroc acquired a 31% stake. In March 2020, it signed a subcontract with Epiroc to provide automated haul truck solutions for the 60 million tonnes/year Roy Hill iron ore mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia. In August 2023, its distributor Epiroc and it received an order from Roy Hill Iron Ore to automate 18 Hitachi EH4000 dump trucks. In July 2024, Epiroc acquired the remaining 66% stake.
DOOSAN Infracore
Headquartered in Seoul, it is a South Korean company primarily engaged in the manufacture and sale of heavy equipment.
In 2018, Doosan Infracore signed an investment agreement with the South Korean startup PoteNit to jointly develop autonomous driving systems. In 2019, Doosan Group completed the development of its smart mining solution, “Concept-X,” and showcased it at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020. On March 10, 2020, Doosan showcased the Concept-X unmanned automation solution and DoosanCONNECT telematics system at the International Construction Equipment Show in Las Vegas, USA.
In 2021, Doosan Infracore was acquired by Hyundai Heavy Industries and renamed HD Hyundai Infracore in 2023.
Liebherr
Headquartered in Bühle, Switzerland, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of construction machinery. Its representative unmanned mining truck is the T 264. In August 2023, a fleet of four T264 unmanned trucks was deployed in Western Australia. In September 2024, an order for 100 battery-powered unmanned mining trucks was secured. In the same month, a $2.8 billion order was signed with Australian mining company Fortescue, encompassing the delivery of 360 jointly developed T264 battery-powered unmanned mining trucks.
In February 2025, the S1 Vision 140-ton trailer was launched. The 2024 financial report shows that total annual revenue reached €14.622 billion (US$16 billion), a 4.1% increase over the previous year, in which the revenue from construction machinery and mining equipment increased by 3.5% year-on-year to €9.891 billion (approximately US$10.9 billion).
Summary
Based on the current status of the more than ten unmanned driving companies in mining areas mentioned above, the global landscape of mining automation technology is gradually becoming clear. The United States remains the birthplace of autonomous driving technology, having pioneered mining truck automation since the 1980s. Caterpillar, with its Cat® MineStar™ system, has achieved large-scale commercial use in numerous locations around the world, operating over 620 unmanned mining trucks and establishing itself as a benchmark in the industry. In Japan, Komatsu and Hitachi, for example, leverage their solid engineering machinery manufacturing capabilities and accumulated automation technology to continuously advance the iteration and upgrade of their AHS systems. Komatsu even became the first company in the world to deploy over 875 unmanned mining trucks.
South Korean companies like Hyundai and Doosan, while starting later, have entered the market with smart mining solutions like Concept-X, focusing on autonomous driving systems, simulation testing, and vehicle validation. Meanwhile, professional automation solution providers like ASI Mining and Pronto are providing unmanned upgrade paths for traditional mining trucks through retrofits and software platforms, accelerating overall industry penetration.
Europe is experiencing a multi-faceted development: Swedish companies like Volvo, Scania, Sandvik, and Epiroc are exploring various technology paths, including open-pit and underground mining, complete vehicles and dispatching systems, and new mining trucks and retrofit solutions, building a comprehensive supply chain advantage from complete machine manufacturing to digital operations. Traditional mining truck giants like BelAZ and Liebherr are also experimenting with autonomous driving, actively conducting field trials and fleet deployments in Russia, Australia, and other countries.
Overall, unmanned driving in mining areas around the world has entered the stage of large-scale application. Mainstream companies have not only continuously broken records in the number of vehicles and transportation mileage, but have also implemented it in multiple types of mines and multiple scenarios, pushing the industry towards cost reduction, efficiency improvement, green and low-carbon development.
Conclusion
China began focusing on and promoting mining automation technology in the 1990s. Over the past 40 years, China has undergone a dramatic transformation from “human control” to “machine control,” to “digital control,” and finally to “intelligent control.” It was during this “intelligent control” phase that unmanned driving technology in mining areas truly gained widespread attention and rapid development.
Currently, China’s development in autonomous driving in mining areas has made the leap from “acquisition” to “galloping,” leading the world in technological innovation, business models, and large-scale application. A number of outstanding companies with international competitiveness have emerged.
Note:
The 2024-2025 Global Mobile Robot Industry Development Report has been released. If you need it, please feel free to contact us.
For details of the report, please click https://cnmra.com/release-of-the-2024-2025-global-mobile-robot-industry-development-report/.
