Terra AI
Terra AI builds an AI-native generative subsurface modeling platform that produces probabilistic 3D geological models and optimizes drill planning for mining, geothermal, and carbon storage operators including BHP, Rio Tinto, and OMV.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Terra AI does
Terra AI is a Palo Alto-based AI software company founded in 2023 that builds generative subsurface modeling platforms for the mining and energy sectors. The company's core technology applies patent-pending generative modeling techniques and AI-driven surrogate simulations to produce probabilistic 3D geological models that fuse drill core data, geophysics, geochemistry, and emerging methods such as muon tomography, with quantified uncertainty. Terra AI's platform runs simulations up to 125,000 times faster than conventional methods, enabling mining and reservoir operators to evaluate millions of subsurface scenarios in minutes and to optimize drill planning, resource characterization, and asset decisions.
The company serves four primary customer segments: major mining companies (BHP, Rio Tinto), mid-cap miners (Ero Copper, Ramaco Resources), junior exploration companies (Canstar Resources), and reservoir operators in geothermal and carbon storage (OMV). It monetizes through enterprise platform licensing and deployments sold via direct field sales, backed by sales leadership including a Head of Commercial and Business Development team. Terra AI was founded by Stanford AI PhDs John Mern (CEO, ex-Kobold Metals and Boeing Phantom Works) and Anthony Corso (CTO, Stanford Center for AI Safety), with Markus Zechner (GM of Reservoirs, Stanford petroleum engineering) as a co-founder. As of June 2026 the company had raised approximately $23.4M total, led by Khosla Ventures with strategic backing from BHP Ventures and Rio Tinto.
Terra AI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Terra AI
- Legal name
- Terra AI
- Website
- https://terraai.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Terra AI builds an AI-native generative subsurface modeling platform that produces probabilistic 3D geological models and optimizes drill planning for mining, geothermal, and carbon storage operators including BHP, Rio Tinto, and OMV.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Terra AI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Subsurface Modeling Software
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM), Mine Site Engineering & Detailed Design (Civil/Structural/Mechanical/E&I) (IMAKAOAA)
Keywords
Where Terra AI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Terra AI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Platform Licensing/Subscription: Terra AI provides its AI platform to mining and energy companies for subsurface exploration. The platform appears to be delivered as a service to enterprise customers, with active deployments across mining, geothermal, and carbon storage applications.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Terra AI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Terra AI develops an AI-native subsurface modeling platform that uses patent-pending generative modeling techniques and real-time geophysical simulations to create probabilistic 3D geological models with quantified uncertainty for mining and energy companies. The platform integrates drill core data, geophysics, geochemistry, well logs, and emerging data types (e.g., muon tomography) to run simulations up to 125,000x faster than traditional methods, enabling drilling, asset evaluation, and resource characterization decisions. It is offered through two modules—AI-Powered Mineral Exploration and AI-Powered Reservoir Modeling—serving critical mineral, rare earth, geothermal, and carbon storage applications.
Product overview
Terra AI offers a unified AI-native platform for subsurface modeling and exploration across mining and energy sectors. The core Terra AI Platform integrates the Generative Geological Modeling Engine, Data Fusion Technology, and AI reasoning agents to generate probabilistic 3D models of underground resources. The platform is offered in two primary modules: AI-Powered Mineral Exploration for mining applications (copper, rare earths, gold, polymetallic systems) and AI-Powered Reservoir Modeling for geothermal and carbon storage. Both modules share the same underlying generative modeling technology and uncertainty quantification capabilities, with Campaign Planning and Drill Planning features supporting decision-making across all applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Terra AI Platform AI-native subsurface modeling platform that quantifies exploration uncertainty for mineral and energy resource exploration. Integrates exploration data to generate probabilistic 3D geological models, enabling mining and reservoir companies to make optimal decisions about drilling, resource characterization, and asset evaluation.
- AI-Powered Mineral Exploration Comprehensive mineral exploration solution for mining companies that assimilates drill cores, geophysics, geochemistry, and other data into deposit signals. Includes generative modeling, campaign planning, and dynamic exploration support with closed-loop targeting and real-time model updates for copper, rare earths, gold, and polymetallic systems.
- AI-Powered Reservoir Modeling Reservoir modeling solution for geothermal and carbon storage applications. Runs millions of simulations of reservoir physical characteristics using AI-driven surrogate models up to 100,000x faster than conventional simulators, optimizing well placement, monitoring systems, and risk mitigation for CCS and geothermal deployments.
- Generative Geological Modeling Engine Patent-pending generative modeling technology that creates thousands of geological models conditioned on real-world data, generating millions of possible 3D subsurface models to explore geologic possibilities and guide exploration decisions, operating approximately 125,000x faster than traditional methods.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50-60% reduction in drilling meters
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use Terra AI
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Terra AI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
Terra AI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Canstar ResourcesminorCanstar Resources extended a Letter of Intent with Terra AI to apply AI technology to its exploration projects in Newfoundland. Collaboration includes land acquisitions and upcoming drilling plans at the Mary March project.
- OMVcoreOMV partnered with Terra AI for carbon storage projects where Terra AI's modeling has safely compressed characterization timelines and reduced risk. Represents deployment on CCS projects with a major energy company.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Terra AI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IMDEX Limited: IMDEX is a mining-tech provider of drilling optimization, downhole instrumentation, and geological data solutions, with an expanding software and AI portfolio. Comparable in serving mining exploration customers with data-driven subsurface insight.
- SLB (Schlumberger): SLB is a major oilfield services and subsurface technology company, with growing exposure to geothermal, CCUS, and critical mineral workflows through its digital and subsurface portfolios. Broad incumbent in subsurface characterization and reservoir modeling.
- Seequent (Bentley Systems): Seequent (acquired by Bentley Systems) is a leading geoscience software provider (Leapfrog, GeoStudio) used by major miners for 3D geological modeling, resource estimation, and geotechnical analysis. Incumbent in the workflows Terra AI is augmenting or replacing.
- Maptek: Maptek is a long-established mining technology vendor providing 3D geological modeling, mine planning, and resource estimation software (Vulcan, DomainMCF). Incumbent supplier to major miners competing for the same workflow spend.
Direct peers
- VerAI Discoveries: VerAI uses proprietary AI/ML to identify hidden mineral deposits and new exploration targets, similar in thesis to Terra AI's generative modeling approach. Direct peer in AI mineral targeting.
- KoBold Metals: KoBold Metals is a direct competitor applying AI/ML to critical mineral exploration. Bill Gates-backed, it uses proprietary ML on geological, geophysical, and geochemical data to discover and develop new deposits of lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earths. Most direct peer in AI-native mineral exploration.
- Ideon Technologies: Ideon Technologies provides subsurface imaging and geophysics solutions for the mining industry using cosmic ray muon tomography, complementing Terra AI's data fusion approach that incorporates muon tomography inputs. Adjacent in subsurface characterization for mining.
- Earth AI: Earth AI is an AI-driven mineral exploration company founded by a geologist, applying ML to identify and validate new critical mineral deposits. Direct competitor targeting the same AI-for-mineral-discovery thesis.
Regional players
- Fleet Space Technologies: Australian-based company combining satellite-enabled geophysics with AI for mineral exploration, primarily serving the Australian and APAC markets. Competes in AI-driven mineral exploration with regional focus, similar technology stack including satellite and geophysical data integration.
Others
- C3 AI: C3 AI is an enterprise AI platform that has applied its suite to industrial use cases including oil & gas and mining. Not a direct subsurface competitor, but represents the broader enterprise AI alternative that resource majors may evaluate alongside purpose-built solutions like Terra AI's.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Terra AI social profiles
Digital presenceTerra AI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Terra AI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Terra AI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Terra AI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Terra AI
What does Terra AI do?
Terra AI develops an AI-native subsurface modeling platform that uses patent-pending generative modeling techniques and real-time geophysical simulations to create probabilistic 3D geological models with quantified uncertainty for mining and energy companies. The platform integrates drill core data, geophysics, geochemistry, well logs, and emerging data types (e.g., muon tomography) to run simulations up to 125,000x faster than traditional methods, enabling drilling, asset evaluation, and resource characterization decisions. It is offered through two modules—AI-Powered Mineral Exploration and AI-Powered Reservoir Modeling—serving critical mineral, rare earth, geothermal, and carbon storage applications.
Is Terra AI a public or private company?
Terra AI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Terra AI founded?
Terra AI was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Terra AI based?
Terra AI is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Terra AI make money?
One revenue line is on record: AI Platform Licensing/Subscription.
Who are Terra AI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IMDEX Limited, SLB (Schlumberger), Seequent (Bentley Systems) and Maptek. Direct peers are VerAI Discoveries, KoBold Metals, Ideon Technologies and Earth AI. Fleet Space Technologies is listed as a regional player. C3 AI is listed as an others.
Does Terra AI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Terra AI.
What industry is Terra AI in?
Terra AI's product category is Subsurface Modeling Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAKAA, Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling), with a secondary code of BPAMANAM, Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms. Its SIC code is 8731.