Effect of digitalization on performance of the mining industry

The article discusses evaluation of efficiency of digital technologies in the mining industry. The industry and its individual entities lack systematic evaluation of actual effects. It is necessary to investigate the multi-factor efficiency of resources and contribution of individual factors, including investment in information technologies. The long-term trends of change in the multi-factor efficiency is analyzed in terms of the Australian and Russian mineral resources sector of economy. It is found that the present-day long-term trend shows a decrease in the multi-factor efficiency. The efficiency reduction of the production capital and labor force is mostly governed by the uncertainty and degradation of the natural capital in the course of time, by the appreciation of geological exploration at its decreased effectiveness, by the aggravation of market environment and cycling of mineral prices. The information technologies have contributed greatly to balancing the adverse impact of the natural capital degradation over certain time spans owing to cost saving in mineral mining and processing. Nevertheless, the decreasing trend of the multi-factor efficiency yet remains. It is stated that the highest contribution to the increased efficiency of resource exploitation should be expected in case of a united system of production management within the framework of integration of mathematical models and methods of optimization, big data analysis, digital twin technologies, communication technologies and monitoring systems. The expectation-driven potential of such system should enable a next-level management of resource efficiency through the control of the uncertainty and variability of mineral mining parameters and thanks to monitoring of reproduction of mineral resources.

Matsko N. A., Kharitonova M. Yu. Effect of digitalization on performance of the mining industry. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(10):153-166. [In Russ]. DOI: 10. 25018/0236_1493_2025_10_0_153.

The study was carried out under state contracts with ISA RAS and ICCT SB RAS, Projects Nos. FFNG-2024-0002 and FWES-2021-0014, respectively.

N.A. Matsko, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, Federal Research Center «Computer Science and Control» of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FRC CSC RAS), 119333, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: matsko@inbox.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8690-5369,
M.Yu. Kharitonova, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Researcher, Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences — a Separate Unit of the Federal Research Center «Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences», 660036, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, e-mail: margaret.ok@yandex.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6768-6754.

N.A. Matsko, e-mail: matsko@inbox.ru.

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