This is a comprehensive report by FICCI and KPMG in India that examines how digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, advanced process technologies, mineral processing, critical minerals, mining innovation, and sustainable metals production can transform India’s mining and metals sector into a globally competitive growth engine. It highlights that as India advances towards Viksit Bharat 2047 and Atmanirbhar Bharat, competitiveness will increasingly depend not only on the scale of mineral extraction and metal production, but also on productivity, resource efficiency, sustainability, technology adoption, supply chain resilience, and value addition across the entire mining and metals value chain. It introduces a comprehensive competitiveness framework built around five dimensions of excellence: operations, sustainability, safety, societal, and innovation, while demonstrating how digital and process technologies can unlock value from exploration, mining, beneficiation, refining, metal-making, logistics, recycling, and downstream manufacturing.
It explores how emerging technologies such as Internet of Things, digital twins, machine learning, generative AI, advanced analytics, robotics, autonomous mining equipment, smart process control, predictive maintenance, digital command centres, and intelligent supply chains are reshaping mining and metals operations globally. It presents a five-layer digital transformation framework that covers value creation, digital capability development, digital foundations, operating models, and ecosystem partnerships. These technologies enable mining and metals companies to improve productivity, enhance recovery rates, reduce operating costs, optimise energy consumption, strengthen worker safety, improve traceability, and support decarbonisation objectives. It emphasises that Indian mining and metals companies must move beyond isolated technology pilots and build scalable digital capabilities that create long-term competitive advantage across exploration, extraction, processing, refining, logistics, and customer-facing operations.
A key theme of the report is the role of process technologies in strengthening India’s mineral value chains. It introduces the Improve-Harness-Build framework, which categorises technology interventions into improving existing processes, harnessing underutilised resources, and building entirely new industrial capabilities. It identifies opportunities in areas such as low-grade ore beneficiation, tailings recovery, dry processing, critical mineral refining, rare earth separation, specialty materials production, battery material recycling, circular economy solutions, coal gasification, hydrogen-based steelmaking, and low-carbon aluminium production. These technologies are critical for increasing resource recovery, improving energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact, enhancing domestic value addition, and reducing import dependence in strategic mineral and metal supply chains.
It also examines the impact of major global trends such as critical minerals demand, energy transition, decarbonisation, supply chain security, geopolitical shifts, circular economy adoption, and AI-driven industrial transformation. It highlights the growing importance of minerals such as lithium, copper, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements in supporting electric vehicles, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, and defence applications. The study argues that India must strengthen domestic exploration, mineral processing, refining, recycling, and advanced materials manufacturing capabilities to enhance resource security and achieve its long-term industrial ambitions. By leveraging technologies across the mining and metals value chain, India can build resilient mineral supply chains while positioning itself as a global leader in critical minerals, green metals, and advanced manufacturing.
