Eramet, the French mining and metallurgical group specializing in the extraction and processing of strategic metals, Lithosquare, the Paris-based technology company pioneering augmented mineral exploration through artificial intelligence, and the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM), the French national geological service, announce the signing of a framework partnership agreement.

Together, the three partners aim to create a unique model in Europe combining scientific excellence, artificial intelligence, and mineral exploration and mining expertise to accelerate the identification of new critical metal resources.

Faced with the increasing global demand for critical metals, and in a context where world-class deposits are becoming increasingly rare, the Eramet group is relying on technological innovation, scientific excellence, and cooperation within the French mining ecosystem to identify new high-potential deposits.

Through this partnership framework agreement, Eramet, Lithosquare, and BRGM plan to combine their recent and historical geological data, the predictive capabilities of artificial intelligence, and the field expertise of their teams of geologists.

Specifically, the partnership aims to organize cooperation as follows:

  • Eramet will oversee the operational management of exploration programs, evaluate opportunities, and develop projects in line with its growth strategy;
  • BRGM will contribute its renowned geoscience expertise and its repository of geological data;
  • Lithosquare will deploy its proprietary geological artificial intelligence technology as well as its specialized teams for the analysis and modeling of exploration data.

This partnership follows an initial exploration program, during which Eramet and Lithosquare confirmed the effectiveness of the approach and their cooperation.

The partnership will initially be deployed in various areas with significant mineral exploration potential in Africa. Insights gained from this first phase may subsequently lead to the progressive expansion of the initiative to other continents.

This partnership fully illustrates our ability to innovate by combining the scientific, technological, and industrial excellence of the French mining ecosystem. It confirms the know how and expertise of Eramet’s teams – those who have been able to identify world-class deposits that today form the foundation of our growth and future.

By accelerating the discovery of new critical metal resources, we are also strengthening Eramet’s strategic contribution to securing our value chains, serving the sovereignty of our economies and the energy transition.

Christel Bories
Chair and CEO of Eramet

For BRGM, this partnership aligns with numerous strategic dimensions. Indeed, BRGM contributes to securing and diversifying France’s supply of critical minerals, which are essential for the energy transition. To achieve this, our scientific strategy relies on knowledge of geology and mineral resources across various territories, as well as our ability to leverage historically acquired or ongoing data. This is particularly the case currently with the project to update the inventory of French mineral resources.

Beyond our scientific research missions and support for public policies, BRGM also has the mission, within its areas of expertise, to foster innovation in the economic sector.

Finally, it is worth noting that international cooperation has historically been part of BRGM’s missions and DNA. We operate on all continents. Thus, in addition to understanding their geological resources, we maintain regular contact with institutions in different countries and their major mining companies, particularly state-owned ones.

For all these reasons, we are delighted to showcase BRGM’s expertise, scientific knowledge,
and network in this partnership with Eramet and Lithosquare.

Catherine Lagneau
Chair and CEO of BRGM

This partnership with Eramet and the BRGM marks a major milestone in achieving Lithosquare’s mission: accelerating the exploration and discovery of new critical metal deposits. By combining our geological AI with the scientific expertise and operational capabilities of our partners, we are significantly scaling our ability to discover new deposits on a global scale to support the energy transition.

Aymeric Preveral-Etcheverry
Founder and CEO of Lithosquare