ASTANA – Minister of Industry and Construction Kanat Sharlapayev expressed Kazakhstan’s intention to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into geological exploration processes at a roundtable with Paul Johnson, the president of the Colorado School of Mines, on March 2 as part of his visit to Denver, the United States, reported the ministry’s press service.
The initiative will significantly increase mineral search and extraction efficiency and accuracy. In particular, AI will analyze geological data and optimize deposits’ exploration and exploitation processes, bolstering Kazakhstan’s competitiveness in the global geological industry.
The American scientific community supported Kazakhstan’s reforms in subsoil use aimed at enhancing efficiency, environmental sustainability, and the investment climate within the mining sector.
They expressed readiness for cooperation, knowledge exchange, and joint innovative geology and mineral extraction projects.
Sharlapayev focused on leveraging the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) advanced technologies and methodologies to enhance Kazakhstan’s geological research and development projects at a meeting with USGS Director David Applegate the day before.
The minister highlighted the historically close trade relations between the two countries, especially in critical minerals, with Kazakhstan, possessing unique capabilities in rare and rare-earth metals production.
He emphasized expanding cooperation in exploring and developing critical mineral deposits in Kazakhstan, 17 out of 50 types identified by the USGS as crucial.
The parties determined the key directions for future collaboration, such as attracting investment in geological exploration, mining, and processing of rare and rare-earth metals and facilitating Kazakhstan’s integration into the global value chain through cutting-edge technologies and expertise.
