14-16 April 2026 Astana, Kazakhstan

Innovations and Digitalisation in the Mining Sector: Economic Effect, Challenges, Prospects

Format: Presentations and panel discussion 

Digitalisation of the mining industry in Kazakhstan is a key priority of the state program "Digital Kazakhstan", aimed at improving the productivity and safety of the industry. The process covers the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and the automation of all stages of production. The announcement of 2026 as the "Year of Artificial Intelligence" indicates that digitalisation in Kazakhstan has gone beyond improving administrative efficiency and has become a pillar of state power and economic competitiveness. The session will demonstrate cases of AI implementation and productivity growth due to Industry 4.0 technologies.

Moderator
Chris Bray
Principal Consultant (Mining Engineering)
SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd.
Presentations:
14:00 - Theme Pending

Zhannat Dubirova
Vice-minister
Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan
14:15 - Digitalization of Mining Enterprises in Kazakhstan: Current State and Prospects

Aliya Maussymbayeva
Associate professor of Geology and exploration of mineral deposits department
Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University
14:30 - Reforming for Value: Building Investment-Grade AI and Digital Trust Across Kazakhstan’s Mining Value Chain

Ali Soofastaei
Program Leader
Newmont
14:45 - Scalable prospectivity workflows: national-scale models to deposit scale targeting, possibilities for Kazakhstan

Laura Ward
Consultant (Geologist)
SRK Consulting
15:00 - Uncover Hidden Value: $50M+ In-Situ Added Through Targeted Short-Program AI Drilling

Farzi Yusufali
CEO
Stratum AI
15:15 - The future of AI in mineral exploration decision-making

David Zhen Yin
Director and Senior Research Scientist
Stanford University