en.Wedoany.com Reported - Kazakhstan mining company Kazakhmys is advancing 20 artificial intelligence and digital technology geological exploration projects within Kazakhstan in 2026, with a total investment of $18.2 million. The company's press department disclosed this information on July 4, 2026.
Kazakhmys is one of Kazakhstan's largest copper mining and processing enterprises, with over 80 years of mining history. Its core assets are concentrated in the Zhezkazgan and Balkhash regions of central Kazakhstan. The company has been a private enterprise in Kazakhstan since 2005, with operations covering the entire production chain from ore mining to refined copper production. Its copper cathode products hold significant influence in the international market.
According to the company, artificial intelligence technology has been applied across all stages of the geological exploration process—from field operations, data processing in geophysical and geochemical studies, interpretation of satellite and seismic images, exploration drilling, to equipment monitoring and 3D geological model construction. The company has implemented satellite monitoring for 50 pieces of equipment and deployed Starlink satellite systems at remote operational sites. At the Zhezkazgan geological cluster, the company has introduced the ANCORELOG and LithoLens systems, which integrate AI modules.
The comprehensive application of geographic information systems, 3D modeling, and artificial intelligence technology helps improve the accuracy of ore body predictions, providing more reliable data support for investor decision-making. This digital transformation plan is being implemented by Kazakhmys Barlau LLP.
In terms of technical details, ANCORELOG is a core digitization and geological data management system that automatically identifies mineralization features and geological structures in cores through high-resolution imaging and AI algorithms. LithoLens focuses on intelligent identification of lithology and mineral composition, using machine learning models to automatically classify rock thin-section images and detect mineralization anomalies. The combination of these two technologies enables geologists to more efficiently extract key metallogenic information from massive drilling data, shortening the target verification cycle.
The advancement of these 20 AI exploration projects is an important component of Kazakhstan's mining digital transformation strategy. For Kazakhstan, which possesses abundant mineral resources but has uneven levels of geological exploration, the introduction of artificial intelligence technology is expected to enhance the deep exploration potential of old mining areas while reducing the risks and costs of greenfield exploration.
