Chile's Codelco strikes deal with Microsoft to extend automation at its copper mines

FILE PHOTO: A worker monitors a process at the Codelco Ventanas copper smelter in Ventanas, Chile, January 7, 2015. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido/File Photo

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Monday it had struck a deal with tech giant Microsoft to fast-track the digitization of its sprawling mining operations, helping it extend automation and improve analytics.

The joint project with Microsoft will beef up the company's capacity to make its production processes more efficient and promote "sustainability" within its operations, Codelco said in a statement.