Subsurface Intelligence: Building the Future of AI-Driven Mining Systems

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has set up the Vikram Sodhi Centre of Excellence for AI-Enabled Geological & Mining Systems, with a clear focus on improving how data is actually used across mining operations. The initiative is backed by a INR 15 crore commitment over five years from Vikram Sodhi, Vice Chairman of Mineros SA and Managing Partner at Sun Valley Investments.

Vikram Sodhi, a Yale University graduate and Sterling Fellow, serves on the Yale President’s Council on International Activities and is the founder of the Sodhi Foundation. In 2024, he endowed Yale School of Medicine’s first professorship dedicated to psychedelic medicine research.

At the Vikram Sodhi Centre of Excellence for AI-Enabled Geological and Mining Systems at IIT Kharagpur, the potential of AI for geological interpretation is being translated into a structured research programme. The Centre’s technical architecture rests on three elements: an interdisciplinary team drawn from geology, mining, and AI departments; a shared data and modelling platform; and flagship research problems selected jointly across disciplines.

The following describes the Centre’s planned technical architecture and research programme. These represent design and intent; deployed systems will emerge as the Centre’s research matures.

The Five Verticals

The exploration programme will apply convolutional neural networks and geostatistical algorithms to borehole logs, geophysical surveys, geochemical analyses, and remote sensing imagery, building predictive mineral occurrence models. The mine planning programme develops optimisation algorithms for extraction sequencing and waste management. The processing programme uses machine learning to improve ore beneficiation. The predictive maintenance programme deploys sensor arrays and AI models to anticipate equipment failures. The ESG analytics programme builds real-time monitoring for water quality, slope stability, and biodiversity impact.

Year 1: Building the Foundation

First-year priorities centre on two workstreams. The first is assembling the team: appointing a Centre Director (reporting to IIT Kharagpur’s Dean of Research and Development), recruiting core faculty and research engineers, and enrolling the first doctoral cohort. Faculty participation follows a dual-tier model: Core Faculty with sustained commitment and governance voting rights, and Affiliated Faculty contributing specialist expertise on a project basis.

The second workstream is establishing the shared data platform — securing subsurface data access agreements, building computing workflows for geological processing, and implementing data governance protocols.

“The establishment of the Vikram Sodhi Centre of Excellence marks a significant strengthening of IIT Kharagpur’s interdisciplinary research ecosystem. In the Institute’s Platinum Jubilee year, this initiative reflects IIT Kharagpur’s continued leadership in advancing collaborative, application-driven research. By integrating geological sciences, mining engineering, and artificial intelligence, the Centre is well-positioned to address complex national challenges through innovation and cross-disciplinary engagement.” — [Prof. Suman Chakraborty, Director, IIT Kharagpur]

“This Centre is envisioned as an enduring institution built on the strength of its research and intellectual contributions. Its purpose is to create lasting value through rigorous, application-oriented work that advances the mining sector, independent of individual associations.” — [Vikram Sodhi]