IIT(ISM) Dhanbad Joins Airborne Geoscience International for AI/ML Integration
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
TEXMiN, the Technology Innovation and Translation Research Park at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, has signed a MoU with Airborne Geoscience International (AGI), an Indian technology aggregator in airborne geoscience technologies for exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals, to pioneer AI/ML-driven mineral prospectivity analysis and mineral target ranking systems, for the first time in India.
TEXMiN and AGI will work together to build proprietary AI-based systems, customised to Indian conditions, that will integrate and analyze disparate geoscience datasets (geological, geophysical, geochemical, GIS etc) with the mandate to generate high value exploration targets and ranking them in accordance with their prospectivity. Contd
By combining airborne and ground geophysical data, geological inputs, geochemical samples and GIS elevation models with AI based machine learning, the partnership aims to reduce uncertainty in early-stage mineral exploration, accelerate target generation and create a mineral prospectivity database in India. This will enable more informed decision-making for explorers and policymakers. It will also attract technology and financial investments from international early stage explorers (also known as junior miners) who are responsible for more than 2/3rd of all new mineral discoveries reported worldwide.
The partnership also strongly aligns with India’s energy transition and net zero goals. Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth elements are foundational to clean energy technologies, including batteries, solar modules and wind turbines.
This shift is already visible in policy prioritisation, with the Geological Survey of India’s 2025-26 field season allocating 25% of its investigations to critical minerals, signalling both the scale of opportunity and the need for advanced analytical capabilities to convert data into discoveries.
Prof Dheeraj Kumar, Deputy Director, IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and Project Director, TEXMiN said, “TEXMiN is focused on translating advanced research into field-ready technologies for the mining and mineral ecosystem. This collaboration with AGI reflects our commitment to bringing research into solutions with real-world impact. What makes this even more impactful is that AGI brings advanced airborne geoscience technologies and data interpretation capabilities, while TEXMiN contributes expertise in research, AI, and advanced mineral prospectivity modelling. Building on our ongoing work in the critical minerals domain, this partnership will be helpful for us to move beyond research outcomes and develop practical, field-deployable tools that can support faster, more informed exploration and contribute to India’s journey towards mineral self-reliance.”
Sudipto Mukerji, MD, AGI said, “AGI was founded on the belief that India’s geoscience data holds immense untapped value and should be used to drive discoveries, not just fill repositories. This partnership with TEXMiN brings together AGI’s geoscience capabilities and TEXMiN’s research and AI expertise to transform data into actionable exploration intelligence. For years, the focus has been on collecting standard data; the next chapter must be about identifying strategic exploration technologies for prioritizing discoveries. We see this collaboration as an important step towards accelerating critical mineral exploration, strengthening India’s resource security, and contributing significantly to the vision of both Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.”
