Digital Platforms in Mining: Russia’s Shift from Raw Exports to Smart Subsurface Solutions
As global mining seeks digital resilience, Russia is moving beyond resource extraction to become a competitive developer of integrated IT platforms for exploration, documentation, and international collaboration.
Winning the Innovation Race
In the wake of international sanctions, Russia launched 35 industry-specific competence centers focused on replacing foreign industrial software. The subsurface exploration cluster, led by Rosgeo, has pioneered IT platforms for mineral monitoring that are now gaining national and international traction.
One standout is Rosgeo’s comprehensive automation platform for solid mineral exploration, which won a MINEXcellence award for digital innovation in mining. Rather than developing standalone tools, Rosgeo and its IT partners created integrated solutions—such as the Geological Data Documentation Platform and the Deposit Design Platform—now used by Russian firms AGR and Geomix.
From Field to Fund: Industry-Scale Integration
These digital products go beyond field-level utility. After being designated as strategically significant by Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Digital Development, they received grant support and are now being refined for export. Data from all exploration stages flows directly to Rosgeolfund’s online systems, enabling real-time analytics and decision-making.
Russia’s approach emphasizes integration—not just modular tools. A shared architecture, centralized data repository, and unified transmission systems cut operational costs and increase data reliability. Initial deals for these platforms have already been signed with clients in the CIS, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Scaling Digital Sovereignty
Deputy Natural Resources Minister Konstantin Tsyganov emphasized that a domestic ecosystem capable of covering the entire mining IT landscape is essential for Russia’s industrial sovereignty. Pavel Solovyov, CIO of Rosgeo, reported that real-world deployments of the new platform have significantly improved productivity and subsurface data quality.
One flagship initiative is Rosgeo.FLUX—presented at last year’s MINEX Russia forum—which builds on neural-system-inspired architectures. It’s designed to run on existing hardware, extending the functionality of the existing Geomix-Geology system without requiring a complete tech overhaul.
This innovation positions Russia not just as a mineral exporter, but as a high-tech player in geological systems integration.
Expanding the Platform Ecosystem
Beyond Rosgeo, the Russian market is developing multiple digital mining platforms. 'Plita' offers a cross-platform software environment tailored for the geological sector. ATOLLis, another developer, has built the 'Mineral' platform—part of a broader suite including MAGMA Geo (GIS), MAGMA Plan (scheduling), and MAGMA Control (dispatching).
This ecosystem simplifies deployment timelines and enhances technological independence from Western software. It also supports scalable, data-driven operations across exploration and production.
Today, intellectual software platforms are becoming as valuable as the mineral resources they help manage—transforming how Russia approaches mining in a digital-first world.
