More than half of the mining organisations operating around the world consider themselves to be repeatable data-led companies on the organisational data maturity scale, according to IDC’s 2021 Worldwide Mining Decision-Maker Survey.

The ability to capture, clean, and utilize data throughout operations enhances an organisation’s ability to implement new technology and track its performance. This helps ensure the return on investment while enabling mining operations to be competitive.

“Mining organisations are increasingly looking to adopt digitally transformative strategies across the entire mining value chain as they look to remain competitive,” says Ben Kirkwood, senior research manager: worldwide mining at IDC’s Energy Insights.

“These digital initiatives are forcing miners to look to more innovative projects which require more advanced infrastructure and talent as they provide highly specified insights into the operations to generate value. IDC’s results shine a positive light on the future of the digital mine as organizations strive for safe, sustainable, and efficient operations.”

The study explores the current and future digital investment and adoption strategies of mining organizations of all sizes and major commodity types. The operations analyzed are located all around the world and utilize above ground and underground mining methods. The report analyses data spending habits, business drivers and strategic objectives, data usage, and the implementation of advanced technologies.

The responses highlight an array of areas of concern as well as areas where businesses are targeting to improve.

As the industry has struggled to cope with the pandemic over the past 18 months, miners turn to digital tools to assist with continuous site operation. This boosted IT spending, with 33,3% of organisations saying they will look to increase spending on data in 2021. Additionally, 44,4% of these mining organisations are seeing an increase in data analytics and 71% are considering investing in 5G over the next 18 months.