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The Quest for Immortality: Are we on the verge of another supercycle for the mining sector?

Throughout the world, healthier lives should translate into increased productivity and life expectancies, particularly in emerging markets. Healthier populations who are living for longer could lead to long-term supercycle for mining and materials, including uranium, fertilizers, forest products, packaging and specialty chemicals.

Meeting increased energy demand while achieving net-zero carbon targets will likely require maintaining and growing nuclear capacity, which should support long-term uranium demand.

Discover more about how longer lifespans will impact materials and mining.

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The Individual Revolution: How will the sector evolve to satisfy the need for sustainable sourcing?

The Individual Revolution is likely to drive greater impact on ESG-related topics for the materials sector, as an increased use of personal data sheds light on individual consumption patterns.

Individuals are also increasingly using social media to voice opinions on ESG impact, ultimately influencing corporate action.

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AI Activated: Can AI extract more value from mining and materials in the future?

Advances in AI, quantum computing, and big data could revolutionize mining, especially considering the low base, and improve efficiency across the materials sector.

But even with all of the technological help we can get, there is no silver bullet that will solve humanity’s growing supply problems.

“At its core, mining remains a business of uncertainty and imperfect information; AI could alleviate some of the industry’s traditional challenges.”

Tyler Broda
Metals & Mining Analyst, RBC Capital Markets

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Hybrid Living: Can augmented realities create new virtual opportunities for remote mining?

A virtual world should start to shift some key paradigms that will liberate the materials sector from its historically physical bounds. Changes will take some time, but directionally, the implications from augmented and virtual reality have the potential to substantially change the industries and business models from within.

Mines of the future could be operated completely remotely. This could have consequences for the finely balanced relationships with local communities, whose economies are now dependent on the mine. The forestry industry could also adopt remote operation.

“Automation and remote mining may leave local communities with less economic upside, but with the negative environmental issues that come from mining, which will need to be proactively managed by the industry.”

Tyler Broda
Metals & Mining Analyst, RBC Capital Markets

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Discover more about materials in a hybrid world.

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The Great Balancing Act: Can we equalize the industry’s carbon footprint?

Bifurcated supply chains, limited critical metals supply capacity and new frontiers for metal production will create substantial complication and risk around our ability to decarbonize.

Copper and the ubiquitous nature of its use, about to be supercharged by electrification, is set for deficits and it is not apparent at this time as to whether this can be avoided. Across the materials sector, the positives from ESG may need to evolve in order to continue to progress the key challenges facing the sector.

Find out more about the threats and opportunities for the materials sector.

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