Hong Kong-listed Chinese autonomous mining equipment maker CiDi expects overseas sales of its autonomous mining machines to increase this year as it expands beyond China, Chief Executive Albert Hu told Reuters.
Hu said the company is strengthening its presence in Australia, where it has already deployed partially autonomous excavators, with a broader rollout planned this year. CiDi is also pursuing new contracts in the Middle East, South America and Europe as demand for automated mining technology continues to rise.
The company is among a growing number of Chinese firms, including Fujian-based EACON, competing to supply self-driving mining trucks and other autonomous equipment aimed at reducing labour and fuel costs while improving operational safety.
Beyond autonomous haul trucks, CiDi is developing robotic drilling and explosive-handling machines for hazardous mining operations. Hu said some of the company’s trucks are already equipped with robotic arms, highlighting the increasing convergence of robotics and heavy industrial vehicles.
“We’re blurring the lines between a truck and a robot,” Hu said, adding that the technology is designed to perform dangerous and highly precise tasks more efficiently.
Hu said CiDi is well positioned to outpace the broader Chinese autonomous mining equipment sector, projecting overseas markets will contribute a double-digit share of the company’s revenue next year, up from a low single-digit contribution currently.
Unlike some competitors that operate their own truck fleets, CiDi supplies hardware and software directly to mine operators while relying on manufacturing partners to build the vehicles, a business model Hu described as “asset-light.”
The company, which listed in Hong Kong in late 2025, more than doubled its revenue last year to 884.8 million yuan ($130.6 million). Hu said CiDi’s deployments and revenue in China grew 374% last year, significantly outpacing the industry’s growth of about 73%.
At a limestone quarry in Jiangsu province operated by TCC Group Holdings, 12 fully electric, driverless mining trucks autonomously transport limestone across the site while recharging without human intervention. CiDi says the operation is the world’s first fully electric autonomous mining truck fleet.
China remains the global leader in autonomous mining trucks, with about 10% of its mining fleet now operating without drivers. CiDi’s global fleet has expanded to more than 1,700 autonomous vehicles deployed across 30 coal mines and quarries, with a single operator capable of remotely monitoring around 100 trucks.
Hu said managing the movement of hundreds of autonomous vehicles simultaneously at large mining sites represents one of the company’s strongest technological advantages and remains a significant barrier for competitors.
CiDi is also preparing to launch robotic explosive-loading vehicles in the third quarter, followed by autonomous drilling machines early next year. Initial deployments are planned for Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, where mine safety has come under increased scrutiny following a gas explosion that killed 82 workers at a Shanxi coal mine in May.
As part of its international expansion strategy, CiDi has entered into a distribution partnership with British mining equipment manufacturer MMD Group and is seeking additional partnerships with mining companies and equipment manufacturers to accelerate its expansion into overseas markets.
Goodness Anunobi
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