About

Trusted by the world’s leading gold miners

PhotonAssay™ measures what fire assay estimated. The difference shows up in your resource estimates, your recovery and your margins.

The Technology

What is PhotonAssay™?

PhotonAssay™ is a non-destructive analytical technique that uses high-energy X-rays to measure the amount of gold, silver, copper and other elements in geological samples. Originally developed through CSIRO research and commercialised by Chrysos Corporation, PhotonAssay™ is deployed at mine sites and commercial laboratories around the world.

Unlike traditional fire assay, which requires crushing, splitting, fluxing, and smelting a 50-gram sub-sample over many hours, PhotonAssay™ analyses the entire 500-gram sample in two minutes. The sample remains intact and can be remeasured or stored for future reference.

The technology eliminates lead-based fluxes and high-temperature furnaces, removing key occupational health hazards and producing zero scope 1 emissions. The result is data that Competent and Qualified Persons trust, regulators accept under JORC and NI 43-101 reporting codes, and that miners around the world are basing decisions on every day.

Our Journey

Our commercialisation journey

The outcome of 20+ years of research and development.

2025
Newmont MSA & Bureau Veritas partnership
Newmont to use PhotonAssay™ across its operations. Foundational partnership with Bureau Veritas for deployment into South America.
2024
4th continent established
One unit deployed in England. First USA deployment at Barrick-Newmont NGM operation.
2023
Global partnership with Barrick Gold
Up to 13 units to be deployed for Barrick Gold and MSALABS.
2022
International expansion & Prime Minister's Award
Canadian and African hubs established. PhotonAssay™ now used by 3 of the top 4 global laboratory services providers (ALS, Intertek and SGS). Chrysos increases manufacturing capacity. PhotonAssay™ team wins Prime Minister's Award for Innovation.
2021
New unit deployments
Further units deployed across Australia and North America.
2020
Industry uptake accelerates
Barrick Bulyanhulu in Tanzania contracts MSALABS and PhotonAssay™. 3rd and 4th units deployed. Chrysos reaches 500,000 commercial assays. SA Premier's Award for Energy & Mining and KCA Award for Best Research Commercialisation.
2019
JORC and NI43-101 recognition
Companies begin citing PhotonAssay™ data in market announcements. 2nd unit commissioned for MinAnalytical.
2018
Prototype complete & first unit commercialised
1st PhotonAssay™ Max unit completed. First commercial deployment at MinAnalytical laboratory in Perth.
2017
Chrysos Corporation formed
Chrysos Corporation established to commercialise PhotonAssay™.
2012
Prototyping commences
CSIRO builds PhotonAssay™ prototype in Canada.
2001
PhotonAssay™ development begins
CSIRO begins development of PhotonAssay™ technology.

Parent Company

Chrysos Corporation

Chrysos Corporation Ltd (ASX: C79) combines science and software to create technology solutions for the global mining industry.

With staff across the globe, Chrysos’ team of scientists, engineers and industry specialists blends innovation, technical expertise and superior customer service to create cutting-edge assay technologies and services that deliver the crucial operational data customers need to achieve better business outcomes.

Originally developed at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, the company’s flagship product PhotonAssay™ delivers faster, safer, more accurate and environmentally-friendly analysis of gold, silver, copper and other elements. The technology has rapidly displaced slower, more hazardous and costly processes to become the mining industry’s most innovative and valuable assaying solution.

Learn more about Chrysos Corporation

Careers

Join the team transforming minerals analysis

We're hiring engineers, physicists, data scientists, and mining industry professionals to help scale PhotonAssay™ globally. If you want to work on technology that's changing how the world analyses minerals, we'd like to hear from you.

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