Oren will match mining companies worldwide seeking new solutions with startups working on more pioneering areas of development, while also aiding the selections process through the aggregation of actionable data.

"The next push in mining requires a new approach towards industry-wide technology platforms which requires new levels of openness, innovation and collaboration," said Matt Candy, global managing partner of IBM's design studio, IBM iX.

As well as a showcase for pioneering technologies, Oren will offer a repository of best practice mining use cases.

Companies that have already signed up to the platform include BGC Engineering, which will feature its Ada platform, which allows holographic visualization of mine sites.

MachineMax, which has developed a cloud-based digital service for off-highway vehicles and industrial fleet optimization, is also present on Oren.

"We envision Oren being the one-stop digital destination for the mining sector to access the best digital solutions and technologies," said Carol Chen VP, Global Marketing Lubricants Shell, noting it could be even more beneficial due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.