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Aramco and Maaden Form Mineral Exploration Joint Venture
Aramco and Maaden sign a shareholders’ agreement to establish a joint venture for mineral exploration and hard-rock mining in Saudi Arabia.
www.aramco.com
Aramco and Maaden have signed a shareholders’ agreement to form a joint venture dedicated to mineral exploration and hard-rock mining in Saudi Arabia. The venture focuses on exploring copper and other transition minerals across Zone-4 within the Arabian Platform using computational algorithms, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing.
Context of the Cooperation
Global industrial demand for energy transition minerals is accelerating, driven by the expansion of electric vehicles, power distribution networks, energy storage systems, and renewable generation assets. In particular, copper represents over 20 percent of the $1.2 trillion mined metals market, with its valuation projected to expand from approximately $250 billion to more than $400 billion by 2035. Unlocking critical mineral resources requires scaling geological screening across expansive territories and managing complex subsurface mapping.
To address these technical and resource demands, cooperation was established between energy company Aramco and multi-commodity metals producer Maaden. The partnership builds on plans initially disclosed in January 2025, combining Aramco's subsurface data assets and computational infrastructure with Maaden's operational mining and mineral exploration expertise.
Technical Solution and Responsibilities
The technical framework utilizes computational algorithms, artificial intelligence (AI), and high-performance computing (HPC) to accelerate the workflow from regional geological screening to target definition and physical discovery. Under the shareholders' agreement, the joint venture structure and operational responsibilities are allocated between the partners:
- Ownership Structure: Maaden holds a 51 percent operating stake, and Aramco holds a 49 percent stake in the joint venture entity.
- Aramco provides legacy geological and geophysical datasets, subsurface modeling frameworks, and high-performance computing and AI processing tools.
- Maaden provides mineral exploration methodologies, field development frameworks, and hard-rock mining operational expertise.
At a system level, the integrated platform applies AI algorithms to massive geophysical datasets to identify subsurface mineralization signatures. The software models analyze geological indicators to prioritize high-probability zones for copper, zinc, lead, and rare earth elements, reducing exploration timelines and optimizing capital allocation.
Deployment or Implementation
The implementation strategy focuses on exploration activities across Zone-4, designated as the Transition Zone within the Arabian Platform. This operational area spans approximately 182,000 square kilometers—representing nearly 10 percent of Saudi Arabia's total land area—along a 100-kilometer-wide corridor running parallel to the Arabian Shield.
The initial deployment phase involves processing geological screening data through the high-performance computing environment to establish target definitions across the exploration corridor. Subsequent implementation phases will deploy field verification teams and drilling operations to validate AI-identified mineral targets, establishing a resource pipeline to support long-term mining infrastructure in the Kingdom.
Edited by Romila DSilva, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.
Deployment or Implementation
The implementation strategy focuses on exploration activities across Zone-4, designated as the Transition Zone within the Arabian Platform. This operational area spans approximately 182,000 square kilometers—representing nearly 10 percent of Saudi Arabia's total land area—along a 100-kilometer-wide corridor running parallel to the Arabian Shield.
The initial deployment phase involves processing geological screening data through the high-performance computing environment to establish target definitions across the exploration corridor. Subsequent implementation phases will deploy field verification teams and drilling operations to validate AI-identified mineral targets, establishing a resource pipeline to support long-term mining infrastructure in the Kingdom.
Edited by Romila DSilva, Induportals Editor, with AI assistance.
