Oxus Metals AI raises $36 million to use AI in mineral exploration

Solving the mineral shortage

Global demand for critical minerals is currently outstripping the rate of new supply. This shortage affects everything from power grids and renewable energy systems to electric transportation and the data centers required to run AI models.

According to the International Energy Agency's Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026, the world is expected to fall 25% short of demand for copper projects by 2035. Because mining projects typically take an average of 16.5 years to move from the initial discovery phase to first production, the industry faces a significant timeline problem.

Oxus Metals AI is attempting to solve this by using technology to find minerals faster and more cheaply. The company recently closed a funding round of nearly US$36 million, which will be used to accelerate exploration across Central Asia and other resource-rich regions.

How the AI platform works

Traditional mineral exploration often relies on a single geological hypothesis to determine where to drill. Oxus takes a different approach by using a proprietary AI platform that generates thousands of plausible subsurface models based on available data evidence.

The system works by integrating complex multiphysics data to test every possible geological scenario. As new drilling data becomes available, the AI eliminates models that conflict with the evidence and proposes the most efficient exploration decisions over a long time horizon.

Founder David Zhen Yin describes the process as being similar to playing Go with the planet. The goal is to use these computations to require fewer drill holes and lower overall costs while identifying the resources needed for the energy transition.

A proving ground in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is serving as a primary location for testing this new technology. Oxus is currently working with one of the country's largest mining operators to find additional copper mineralization at depth in a mine that has been active for nearly 80 years.

The company has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Industry and Construction and the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. This agreement aims to advance the nation's use of AI in mineral exploration and infrastructure.

Zhaslan Madiyev, a Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister, stated that the goal is to turn minerals and data into technological value inside the country. The partnership will involve making decades of geological data machine-readable and training local specialists to apply AI in exploration while keeping the data within Kazakhstan.

Bridging academia and industry

Oxus Metals AI was founded by individuals with deep roots in academic research from Stanford and MIT. David Zhen Yin, the company's founder, previously served as a director and co-founder of Stanford University's Mineral-X program and has over 15 years of experience in geoscience and data science.

The leadership team includes a mix of mining industry veterans and academic experts. This includes a Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inductee with 45 years of experience and a Stanford professor who is a global leader in geostatistics and AI-enabled exploration.

The company operates out of Singapore and maintains a presence in several other countries, including Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Brazil. By combining AI technology with capital and local execution, Oxus aims to lift success rates for asset owners while reducing the environmental impact of mining.

The path to production

The company's business model goes beyond providing software or technical services to mining firms. Instead, Oxus often enters into joint ventures with asset owners to fully capture the upside of new discoveries made through their AI platform.

By identifying high-probability targets with quantified risk, the company hopes to shorten the path from exploration to investment decisions. This is particularly important in regions where geopolitical rifts may complicate the traditional methods of securing mineral supplies.

As the company expands its footprint, it seeks to redefine the economics of mineral discovery. The ultimate goal is to provide a more efficient way to power the global energy transition by making the subsurface of the earth more legible to technology.