IMDEX accelerates AI dev 10x with Cursor

Global mining technology leader IMDEX is achieving development speeds previously unimaginable, cutting project timelines by as much as tenfold thanks to the AI-powered coding assistant, Cursor. The company successfully rebuilt two flagship geological mapping tools, consolidating fragmented data systems and re-platforming legacy applications in mere months, a feat that would have traditionally taken years and substantial engineering resources.

The accelerated development is transforming IMDEX's ability to deliver value. A new data platform, crucial for integrating diverse geological data, was completed in eight months. Without Cursor, this project would have required an additional 20 engineers and two to three years, at a cost of millions of dollars. Similarly, a complex migration of a legacy Angular application to React was finished in six months, a process that previously would have spanned three to five years.

Consolidating Mining Data with AI Speed

IMDEX provides essential tools for geologists and drillers, whose decisions heavily impact exploration drilling programs that can cost up to $2 million per day. Historically, the company's portfolio of over 600 mining technologies supported separate applications, leading to disparate data models and integration challenges. This fragmentation meant data lost fidelity during handoffs, hindering its value.

Using Cursor, IMDEX consolidated these siloed data products into a single, coherent platform. This new platform synchronizes core sample data to the cloud, connects IoT devices, and provides a unified interface for data interpretation and exploration planning. This not only simplifies workflows for drillers receiving real-time guidance but also ensures data quality for geologists making critical subsurface interpretations.

Developer Workflow Transformation

The choice of Cursor was driven by its ability to manage context across large codebases, offer model flexibility, and integrate seamlessly into existing development workflows. IMDEX developers found that Cursor's agents could recall relevant code segments and develop better strategies for complex tasks. The ability to choose different AI models based on task complexity, from quick implementations to ambiguous design decisions, proved vital.

Developers appreciated that Cursor did not force a choice between traditional engineering and AI-assisted workflows. They could fluidly move between familiar debugging tools and agentic processes, accelerating real product work. Richard Zampieri, Principal Engineer/AI Lead at IMDEX, noted, "We've tried tools from multiple providers, but we have always landed back on Cursor because the user experience is so much better."

Scaling AI Adoption Enterprise-Wide

IMDEX dedicated a full month, dubbed "AI July," to intensive training and experimentation with Cursor, integrating structured learning with hands-on product work. This initiative aimed to embed agentic workflows into daily practice, covering AI basics, advanced tools, and hackathons focused on real product challenges.

The company is pursuing a deliberate, company-wide strategy for AI adoption, extending beyond engineering. Rob van Selm, Head of Software Development and Solutions, is guiding the integration of AI-assisted development, fostering an environment where engineers can experiment and move faster. This approach aims to create an AI-ready organization where teams understand responsible AI application and can scale engineering workflows with agentic tools.

StartupHub.ai data shows Cursor with a score of 77/100, positioning it strongly in the developer tools market. Competitors like Codeium (70/100) and Tabnine (64/100) also offer AI coding assistance, but IMDEX's experience highlights Cursor's effectiveness in complex enterprise migrations and platform consolidation. Cursor itself has achieved verified financials, raising $2 billion in 2026 with a post-money valuation of $50 billion.

Beyond Engineering

IMDEX's use of Cursor extends beyond core software development. The company is modernizing legacy applications, enhancing user experiences, and rebuilding product architecture to facilitate faster integration of new data sources and analytics. This includes accelerating design, implementation, review, onboarding, debugging, and documentation processes.

The impact is already visible in new application development. IMDEX built a customer insight app in under 30 days and a sales training tool in just under two weeks, projects that previously would have taken months or required external vendors. This shift means IMDEX's primary constraint is now decision-making speed, not technological capability.