Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our business
We operate in 35 countries where our 57,000 employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs
Our purpose in action
Continuous improvement and innovation are part of our DNA
Innovation
The need for innovation is greater than ever
We supply the metals and minerals used to help the world grow and decarbonise
Iron Ore
The primary raw material used to make steel, which is strong, long-lasting and cost-efficient
Lithium
The lightest of all metals, it is a key element needed for low-carbon technologies
Copper
Tough but malleable, corrosion-resistant and recyclable, and an excellent conductor of heat and transmitter of electricity
Bringing to market materials critical to urbanisation and the transition to a low-carbon economy
Oyu Tolgoi
One of the most modern, safe and sustainable operations in the world
Rincon Project
A long-life, low-cost and low-carbon lithium source
Simandou Project
The world’s largest untapped high-grade iron ore deposit
Providing materials the world needs in a responsible way
Climate Change
We’re targeting net zero emissions by 2050
Nature solutions
Our nature-based solutions projects complement the work we're doing to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions
Decarbonisation progress update
We have a clear plan on decarbonisation - find out more about our progress in 2024
We aim to deliver superior returns to our shareholders while safeguarding the environment and meeting our obligations to wider society
Investor seminars
Our Investor seminar will be held in London on 4 December, and our Decarbonisation update on 5 December
Get the latest news, stories and updates
Things you can't live without
Our podcast discussing what needs to happen to create a sustainable future for the everyday items we have come to rely on
The 'f' word of innovation
How unlocking innovation requires a change of mindset
Reducing titanium oxide's carbon footprint
Our BlueSmelting technology could drastically reduce carbon emissions during ore processing
Discover more about life at Rio Tinto
Graduates and students
If you want to drive real change, we have just the place to do it
Empowering families with flexibility
Supporting new parents of any gender with equal access to parental leave
Available jobs
Join our team
Technology and research and development (R&D) are integral to our business, helping us run safer, more efficient operations and leave a lighter footprint.
For the world to reach net zero we must find better ways provide the materials it needs. Some of the technology we need to get to net zero by 2050 doesn’t exist today, so we need to contribute, support and partner to make it a reality. That’s why we’re nurturing an innovative culture – one where our people can help to meet these challenges with courage and creativity.
We’ve built an industry-leading technology and R&D organisation, and we’re partnering with universities, governments, other companies and start-ups to test, develop and accelerate technology that can support our strategy.
We are disciplined in our approach to research and development. Our technology roadmap focused on 5 areas aligned to our strategic priorities.
Health and safety
ELYSIS, our joint venture with Alcoa, supported by Apple, the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec, is developing a breakthrough inert anode technology that eliminates all direct greenhouse gases from the aluminium smelting process.
BlueSmelting™ is a new ilmenite smelting technology that could generate 95% less greenhouse gas emissions than the current reduction process, enabling the production of titanium dioxide, steel and metal powders with a significantly lower carbon footprint.
BioIron™ uses raw, sustainable biomass and microwave energy instead of coal to convert Pilbara iron ore to iron in the steelmaking process. BioIron has the potential to be carbon neutral and can result in net negative emissions when linked with carbon capture and storage. The pilot has been successful and now we’re planning to test it on a larger scale.
In partnership with Sumitomo Corporation and the , we’re building a first-of-a-kind hydrogen pilot plant at our Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.
To help us find better ways to provide the materials the world needs, our Chief Scientist Nigel and the team search the world for the most innovative technologies and ideas that can shape the future of sustainable mining. Today we have over 500 experts dedicated to R&D, spread across Canada, France, Australia, the US, the UK and China. Alongside our in-house expertise, we also have an ecosystem of partners across the globe including universities, government research labs and start-ups.
Nigel is our Chief Scientist and holds a Bachelor of Science (Engineering) and a PhD in Metallurgy and Materials Science from Imperial College London, UK and is an Associate of the Royal School of Mines. He also holds an MBA from Queen’s University, Canada. Nigel has more than 30 years’ experience in operational roles in our aluminium, copper and diamonds divisions, including as Managing Director of Copper and Diamonds Operations.
In 2023 we established an Innovation Advisory Committee comprising innovation and R&D experts from around the world. The Committee will provide insights on ways we can accelerate our innovation portfolio as well as offer guidance on emerging and disruptive technologies in areas including health and safety, environmental, social and governance, growth, carbon abatement and productivity.
, Founder QuantumBlack and PhysicsX, London, UK; , NSW Chief Scientist, Sydney, Australia; , Founder and CTO, Electric Hydrogen, Boston, US; , Former Chief Scientist, Australia; , Colorado School of Mines, Denver, US; , MIT Energy Initiative, Boston, US; , Former Chief Scientist BP, UK; , Technical Director Alumobility, UK; , Chief Technical Officer, Rio Tinto, Brisbane, Australia; , Chief Scientist, Rio Tinto, Montreal, Canada; , Chief Innovation Officer, Rio Tinto, London, UK.
We harness new and emerging technologies to make our operations safer and more efficient, and to leave a lighter environmental footprint. And we do this all the way through the mining life cycle as we explore, design, build, operate and close our operations.
We operate one of the largest fleets of autonomous drills in the world. We use 40 autonomous drills on 5 drill platforms across 7 mine sites, to safely and accurately drill blast-holes in the Pilbara from a remote location. A controller, located at our Perth Operations Centre, can remotely plan an entire shifts activity for up to 8 different drills across several mine sites using a single console, rather than doing the work manually on-site.
One of the biggest benefits of autonomous drills is safety. By removing operators out of harm’s way, we’re reducing the risks associated with working around heavy machinery. And it delivers mine planning, productivity, and environmental benefits through more precise drilling accuracy.
We also operate smart charge trucks, which automate the process of pumping explosives into drill holes. The trucks use computer systems and data analytics to determine the right amount of explosives to use for each drill hole, helping to reduce wastage and improve the effectiveness of the blast.
Our operations centres in Perth and Brisbane in Australia, and the Saguenay region in Canada enable mines, processing facilities, ports and rail systems in these regions to be operated from a single location. The teams work in rooms filled with screens that show the entire operation in action – in real-time. Using tools like predictive maths, clever computer code and powerful software, our operations centres help us identify opportunities for improvements and efficiencies – from finding the best way to get ore from the ground to improving the way we make products.
We use drones and ROVs for real-time 3D mapping and equipment inspections, as well as checking slopes, crests and walls for safety risks like cracks and signs of rock movement. One of the biggest benefits of our drones is safety. There are some jobs where it is better for drones to do it rather than people – for example high wall mapping. By using drones, we are removing people from harm’s way. We are also using drones fitted with thermal diagnostic capability to identify equipment problems from the air. We can identify high friction rates on equipment in real time and notify the maintenance teams so the issues can be addressed.
Our Centres of Excellence bring together our foremost technical experts to work with our operations around the world. They focus on analytics, automation, asset management, orebody knowledge, underground mining, surface mining and processing. These smart mining teams help us make the right technical judgements and decisions to help us manage our major hazard risks and assure the safety of our assets and operational excellence.
Our Mine Automation System (MAS) operates like a network server application, pulling together data at 98% of our sites, and mining it for information. MAS provides this information in a common format, using sophisticated algorithms. It can be displayed visually using RTVis™ – ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿ÚVisualisation – or through more conventional operational type dashboards with graphs, charts and tables.
We then use artificial intelligence to make the best use of our systems. We can automatically generate orebody models, organise equipment dispatch, and predict and control blasts. We have even optimised the speed and reduced queuing of our autonomous trucks – these small improvements have produced significant gains in productivity.
We built RTVisâ„¢ – ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿ÚVisualisation – with a 3D gaming engine to help us see inside our operations. We can fly over a site and dive down to the detailed information we need. We can hover over an excavator, follow a haul truck, or examine an orebody.
The software brings together geology, geotechnical, drill and blast, production and planning, and visualises surface and sub-surface features. There are also various analytics tools to help us make sense of our data and information for better decision-making.
RTVis has delivered many benefits to our operations, including more accurate drilling and blasting, reduced explosive use, and better waste classification, which means that our trucks carry less waste material and more ore – this boosts productivity and lowers costs.
Satellites stream oceans of data telling us everything from the position of a truck to where our next discovery might be. We have built computer systems that analyse data and make decisions in microseconds. An ore crusher at an iron ore processing plant can talk to trucks and let them know when it needs more ore. At our bauxite mine in Weipa, special mathematical software helps our port schedulers manage hundreds of ships a year. Using data in these ways helps us minimise downtime, reduce energy use and cut operating costs.
How we process personal data provided or obtained through this website.
With the exception of the use of cookies, ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿Úgenerally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿Úthrough this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of our Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
With the exception of the use of cookies (explained below), ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿Úgenerally does not seek to collect personal data through this website. However if you choose to provide personal data to ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿Úthrough this website (for example, by sending us an email), we will process that personal data to answer your query and if relevant, to manage our business relationship with you or your company. We won't process that personal data for other purposes except where required to meet our legal obligations or otherwise as authorised by law and notified to you.
Part 1 of this Privacy Policy contains the ÌÇÐÄvlogÈë¿ÚData Privacy Standard, which provides an overview of Rio Tinto’s approach to personal data processing. There is additional information in the appendices to the Data Privacy Standard, including information about disclosures, trans-border data transfers, the exercise of data subject rights and how to make complaints or obtain further information relating to Rio Tinto’s processing of your personal data.
If you choose to subscribe to our media releases or other communications, you can unsubscribe at any time (by following the instructions in the email or by contacting us at digital.comms@riotinto.com).
With your consent, our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.
As some data privacy laws regulate IP addresses and other information collected through the use of cookies as personal data, Rio Tinto’s processing of such personal data needs to comply with its Data Privacy Standard (see Part 1 of this Privacy Policy), and also applicable data privacy laws.
These Cookies are used to provide a better user experience on the site, such as by measuring interactions with particular content or remembering your settings such as language or video playback preferences.
These Cookies allow us to analyse site usage in order to evaluate and improve its performance. They help us know how often you come to our site and when, how long you stay and any performance issues you experience whilst you are on our site.
These Cookies are used by advertising companies to inform and serve personalised ads to your devices based on your interests. These Cookies also facilitate sharing information with social networks or recording your interactions with particular ads.