Diamond Giant ALROSA Turns to AI to Find New Deposits

Russia’s largest diamond producer, ALROSA, is betting on artificial intelligence to accelerate exploration and spot promising new deposits.

ALROSA, Russia’s biggest diamond producer, has launched a strategic effort to integrate artificial intelligence into geological exploration. The company is deploying machine learning algorithms to analyze geological data and search for new deposits. With major diamond discoveries becoming increasingly rare, traditional exploration methods require significant cost and time.

Potential deposits are often hidden in remote, harsh regions where fieldwork is extremely expensive. AI is set to change the process dramatically. Neural network algorithms can scan terabytes of data within hours — from satellite images and geophysical and geochemical surveys to archival reports. The system detects complex patterns invisible to the human eye and builds predictive models pointing to the most promising drilling locations.

Company officials stress that AI is a powerful tool for geologists rather than a replacement. Its effectiveness depends directly on the quality and volume of source data as well as expert oversight.