Alrosa Develops AI for Diamond Prospecting
August 26, 25
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa says it has developed an AI-based system to help identify hard-to-find diamond deposits.
Russia's state-controlled miner said in a statement published on 21 August that the technology will "allow more accurately identifying promising areas for geological exploration and reducing the time it takes to find them".
"In recent decades, the search for new diamond deposits has slowed down," says Alrosa. "This is because all of the largest and most accessible kimberlite pipes on Earth have already been discovered by geologists in the 20th century."
But it says the use of large language AI models, based on neural network algorithms using data more than 50 years of diamond prospecting, will speed up the analysis of certain areas.
"It is an innovative solution that can play a key role in the discovery of new mineral deposits."
The announcement comes at a time when Alrosa is being impacted by G7 sanctions on its diamonds. Revenue and production are falling, mines have been temporarily closed, thousands of jobs are under threat and the company is having to offload unsellable stock to the government's Gokhran.