“Earthmoving is the Foundation of Everything”, Says AIM CEO Sadilek

Every year, the U.S. construction sector seems to be falling further behind. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors, the industry needs to hire an additional 440,000 workers this year alone, with another half-million required next year, just to meet demand. This shortage is a drag on everything from infrastructure upgrades, mining operations, and even climate resilience efforts.

AIM Intelligent Machines, a startup that wants to change how the world moves earth, thinks it can meet those demands.

Founded in 2021 by Adam Sadilek, a veteran of Waymo and Google Brain, AIM retrofits existing heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, and other earthmovers) with AI-powered autonomy. The goal is ambitious: make construction and mining operations safer, more productive, and scalable without relying on a dwindling supply of skilled human operators.

AIM recently raised a $50 million funding round with backing from top-tier investors like Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst, Human Capital, and Ironspring Ventures. The company plans to expand its 40-person team and open a new facility in Washington state to keep up with demand.

“Everything is either mined or grown, and efficient earthmoving is required for both,” Sadilek said. “Since the introduction of hydraulic machines like excavators in the 1800s, mining and construction have seen little of the automation that’s transformed other industries. These are still among the most dangerous jobs in the world, and outcomes aren’t getting better fast enough. AIM is changing that”. 

From Tech Lab to Job Site

With AIM, Sadilek wanted to use AI to solve tangible, planetary-scale problems. At Google Brain and Waymo, he saw firsthand the maturation of autonomous systems. But the most useful application of this tech, he realized, wasn’t in self-driving taxis, but in construction yards and mine pits, where labor scarcity and safety risks collide daily.

Rather than build new machines from scratch, AIM designed a plug-and-play platform that can retrofit heavy equipment of any make, model, or age. The system installs within 24 hours and turns analog workhorses into intelligent, autonomous earthmovers. Using the same sensor stack that powers self-driving cars, AIM-enabled machines build real-time 3D maps of their surroundings and execute tasks like “dig this area down 12 feet” with precision and consistency.

Edge compute handles local decisions, while a single operator can supervise multiple machines remotely. The approach enables 24/7 operation in extreme environments, and eliminates on-site injuries by keeping humans out of harm’s way.

“Mining has a fatal injury rate five times higher than the average across all industries,” said Sadilek. “Autonomous systems enable zero-entry worksites, which means dramatically improved safety and throughput”.

Results are Already Showing

The technology is making an impact on the ground. One of AIM’s early customers, Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI), reported significant improvements in both productivity and safety.

“Our work with AIM has helped protect employees who work in complex environments on a daily basis,” said MTI CEO Douglas T. Dietrich. “We continue to see significant benefits both in terms of site productivity and safety”.

Patrick Pohlman, a former director at Peabody Energy with four decades in the mining industry, framed AIM’s value proposition succinctly:

“AIM’s autonomous technology boosts equipment efficiency and maximizes utilization by operating continuously, increasing production rates and eliminating variability caused by manual operations,” Pohlman said. “Mining companies can now enhance safety and efficiency in hazardous environments, achieving greater profitability with automation while maintaining a risk-averse strategy”.

AIM estimates each machine equipped with its system can generate roughly $1 million in additional value per year. Rather than charging a flat licensing fee, the company takes a percentage of that value as revenue.

AIM could Impact Infrastructure, AI, and Climate

AIM could turn out to be a critical enabler for the next generation of physical infrastructure. Many of AIM’s customers are engaged in building data centers and mining operations that underpin the AI boom, extracting critical minerals for GPUs or laying foundations for hyperscale computing campuses.

The value extends further. One of Sadilek’s long-term goals is to apply AIM’s tech to climate resilience, specifically, the construction of seawalls to protect cities from rising sea levels. The company is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has already started building smaller-scale barriers.

“Major population hubs, including New York, Shanghai, and Mumbai, are at risk of storm surges and flooding,” said Sadilek. “Rather than move millions of people, they can stay where they are, and we’ll just adjust the environment around them”.

In summation, AIM represents an example of the next evolution of automation: embodied AI. Unlike purely digital agents, AIM’s systems act in the real world, reshaping the physical landscape in measurable, profitable, and life-saving ways. As Sadilek puts it, “Scaled earthmoving is not optional, it’s required for our civilization to create abundance”.

The market is paying attention. The autonomous construction equipment sector is expected to more than double in size, from $4.43 billion in 2024 to $9.86 billion by 2030. With a strong roster of investors and a growing list of high-impact clients, AIM is well-positioned to lead that transformation.