What Cortex Intelligence does

Cortex Intelligence, operating commercially as Cortex Smartdrill, is a privately held Australian mining-technology company headquartered in Balcatta, Western Australia. It builds automated drilling solutions and machine data acquisition software for the mining industry, deployed across exploration (Reverse Circulation, Diamond, Air Core), hydro (water well), production blast hole (drill & blast, grade control), and underground (raise bore, auger, rotary, diamond core) drilling applications.

The product portfolio rests on a common scalable technology platform that supports manual, semi-automated, and fully autonomous rig operation. Core offerings include the Hole Navigation System (HNS) for precision drill positioning and re-drill reduction on production rigs, the Machine Data Provider (MDP) telemetry stack for exploration rigs, an Automated Rig Control suite covering rod handling, sampling, auto-drill, adaptive drilling, tele-remote operation, and ground hardness profiling, and a configurable Data Acquisition software suite with role-specific tools (Operator through Executive). Supporting modules include NURV (near/bench/tele-remote), Rod Loaders, and Scanning Companion. The platform integrates with ERP, FMS, geo-modelling, and SCADA systems.

The company generates revenue from hardware sales of automation and navigation equipment, recurring software subscriptions and telemetry licences sold typically on multi-year terms, and implementation/professional services. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting tier-1 mining operators and drilling contractors — the customer base includes Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, Hancock Prospecting, and a roster of Australian and international drilling contractors. Demand generation is supported by standalone ROI calculators, a multi-field inbound enquiry form, industry events, and a LinkedIn presence. No public pricing, revenue, or funding disclosures are available.

Name

Cortex Intelligence

Legal name

Cortex Smartdrill

Website

https://cortexintelligence.com.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cortex Intelligence (DBA Cortex Smartdrill) is a privately held Australian mining-technology vendor that builds automated drilling control, hole navigation, and telemetry platforms for tier-1 mining operators and drilling contractors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Automated Drilling Solutions & Hardware: Sale and deployment of automated rig control systems, hole navigation hardware, rod loaders, and related drilling automation equipment. Offered in manual, semi-automated, and fully autonomous configurations, with scalable functionality.
2. Software Subscriptions & Data Acquisition Licences: Configurable data acquisition software tools accessible via rig-local network or internet connection, sold as recurring licences typically on an annual or multi-year basis. Includes monitoring dashboards, KPIs, event logging, and analytics.
3. Professional Services & Implementation: Implied through the Solution Enquiry form and 'Contact us for details' CTAs across product pages, suggesting deployment, integration, and ongoing support services are offered alongside the core software and hardware products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cortex Intelligence (operating as Cortex Smartdrill) sells automated drilling solutions and data acquisition technology for mining and exploration drill rigs. The product suite is built on a common scalable technology platform that supports the full automation spectrum—from manual through semi-automated to fully autonomous drilling—covering exploration, hydro, production blast hole, and underground drilling applications. Core offerings include the Hole Navigation System (HNS) for precision drilling, Machine Data Provider (MDP) telemetry for exploration rigs, Automated Rig Control for scalable autonomous operation, and a role-based Data Acquisition software suite.

Product overview

Cortex Smartdrill is a unified platform for automated drilling solutions and machine data acquisition built on a common scalable technology platform. The product suite consists of four core offerings: Smartdrill HNS (Hole Navigation System) for precision drilling in production drill rigs; MDP (Machine Data Provider) for telemetry and data acquisition on exploration drill rigs; Automated Rig Control providing scalable automation from manual to full autonomous operation; and Data Acquisition for configurable software tools across multiple user roles. Additional modules including Monitor, Auto, NURV (remote operation), Rod Loaders, and Scanning Companion extend functionality. The platform serves exploration, hydro, production drill & blast, and underground drilling applications for contractors and mine owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HNS (Hole Navigation System): Advanced hole navigation system for drill and blast and grade control operations, providing precision drill accuracy and re-drill reduction.
• MDP (Machine Data Provider)
• NURV

Products and services

• Cortex Smartdrill HNS (Hole Navigation System)
• Cortex Smartdrill MDP (Machine Data Provider) Machine data acquisition and telemetry solution for exploration drill rigs that transforms rigs into intelligent assets with operational transparency and precision data quality; targeted at drilling contractors and mining operators running exploration programs.
• Cortex Smartdrill Automated Rig Control Scalable automated rig control platform covering rod handling, sampling, auto-drill, adaptive drilling, ground hardness profiling, and remote operation; built on a common scalable technology platform that supports the full automation spectrum from manual to fully autonomous drilling.
• Cortex Smartdrill Data Acquisition Configurable data acquisition software suite with role-based dashboards and analytics for drillers, operators, engineers, and management, designed to integrate with ERP, FMS, geo-modelling, and SCADA systems; targeted at mining operators and drilling contractors seeking operational transparency and data integration.
• Cortex Smartdrill NURV Remote operation and control terminal enabling near bench, tele-remote, and remote operation capabilities for drill rigs; targeted at mining operators seeking to move personnel away from the face and improve safety.
• Cortex Smartdrill Rod Loaders Automated rod loading and unloading system for drill rigs that reduces manual handling and improves safety and rig utilization; targeted at mining operators and drilling contractors running production or exploration rigs.
• Cortex Smartdrill Monitor Monitoring module within the Cortex Smartdrill product suite providing rig operation monitoring and alerting; targeted at drilling operators and maintenance teams requiring visibility into rig performance.
• Cortex Smartdrill Auto Automation module within the Cortex Smartdrill product suite supporting automated drilling sequences and rig control tasks; targeted at mining operators seeking to advance from manual to autonomous drilling.
• Cortex Smartdrill Scanning Companion Scanning companion tool within the Cortex Smartdrill product suite that supports scanning workflows alongside the core HNS navigation and rig control products; targeted at drilling operators who require scanning integration with their drilling cycles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Measurable uplift in drill accuracy (quantified via HNS ROI Calculator)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Micromine: Micromine offers end-to-end mining software from exploration through production, including pit optimisation and drillhole management. It is an emerging competitor for drilling and exploration data workflows overlapping Cortex's exploration telemetry use cases.
• Deswik: Deswik is an Australian mining software vendor for planning, scheduling, and drill & blast design. It is an adjacent competitor for software budgets at mining operators and overlaps with Cortex at the data-to-drilling-execution interface.
• Maptek: Maptek provides geological modelling, mine planning, and operational analytics software widely used in Australia. It is an emerging-player competitor for software-driven drilling optimisation and operational intelligence workflows at the same miner customer set.

Broad incumbents

• Caterpillar (Cat MineStar): Caterpillar offers Cat MineStar Command for autonomous drilling and hauling plus drill rig hardware. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps Cortex on autonomous drill rig control and data, particularly in large North American and Australian operations.
• Hexagon Mining: Hexagon provides mine planning, fleet management, and operator guidance solutions (HxGN MinePlan, HxGN MineProtect). It is a broader incumbent adjacent to Cortex in mining digital workflows and competes for the same operational-data budget at majors.

Direct peers

• Komatsu (Modular Mining Systems): Modular Mining, a Komatsu subsidiary, provides fleet management, dispatch, and machine guidance systems widely used in surface mines. It competes with Cortex on telemetry and operational data layers for drilling fleets, particularly in iron ore and copper operations.
• ASI Mining (Autonomous Solutions, Inc.): ASI Mining specialises in retrofit autonomy kits for haul trucks, dozers, and drills used in open-pit mining. Its Mobius autonomous drilling offering directly overlaps with Cortex's automated rig control product line.
• Epiroc: Epiroc is a leading global drill rig manufacturer with built-in automation and Pit Viper autonomy offerings, plus the 6th Sense digital platform. It is the most prominent vertically integrated competitor to Cortex's aftermarket automation and telemetry stack.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Sandvik offers the AutoMine and i-Series drilling automation platforms covering underground and surface drill rigs, alongside the Newtrax IoT/data acquisition suite. It is a direct competitor across both the autonomous drilling and rig telemetry categories where Cortex operates.
• RCT: RCT is an Australian-based mining equipment automation specialist offering autonomous and remote-control solutions for drill rigs, haul trucks, and loaders. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Cortex in surface drill automation and machine data telemetry for mining.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cortex-intelligence-systems
• Xx.com/cortexengineers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cortex Intelligence