For most of modern history, mining influence has been anchored in two places: where the resources sit, and where the world’s processing capacity, standards, and capital allocation decisions are concentrated. The Future Minerals Forum (FMF) is challenging that old map. Not by declaring a new “centre” in a keynote, but by acting as a catalyst for something more powerful: trust. And also the geopolitical and commercial influence that flows from it.
Trust is mining’s hardest currency. GlobeScan’s tracking of mining’s societal reputation shows global public opinion remains largely negative, with only about 30% giving the sector positive ratings for fulfilling societal responsibilities, even as perceptions have improved since 2022. In a world of rising disclosure expectations, ESG-linked finance, and supply-chain scrutiny, that credibility gap is no longer a communications challenge. It is a growth constraint, because it shapes permitting timelines, investor risk appetite, and customer willingness to commit to long-term supply agreements.
This is the context in which FMF has become more than an event. It is emerging as an engine of alignment, bringing together governments, operators, investors, technology providers, standards bodies, and academia around a shared ambition: building critical minerals value chains that are resilient, sustainable, and investable. Scale matters when convening becomes architecture. FMF’s own reporting points to 14,000 participants at its 2024 edition, with broad international representation. That kind of ecosystem gathering is not simply a “successful conference”; it is a mechanism for influence, where partnerships form, investment narratives gain credibility, and ideas move closer to implementation.
Saudi Arabia is also backing this convening power with tangible sector momentum. Reuters reported that the Kingdom launched bidding for mineral exploration licences covering 13,000 square kilometres, linked to an official estimate of mineral wealth around 9.4 trillion riyals (about $2.5 trillion). Arab News has separately reported that official estimates of mineral wealth have risen sharply versus earlier assessments, reflecting new discoveries and reassessments of market value. These signals matter because capital follows confidence: confidence in resource potential, in policy continuity, and in the seriousness of execution.
But the most consequential shift FMF can catalyse is not simply “more projects.” It is a change in how mining proves itself to investors, regulators, customers, and society. The energy transition is accelerating mineral demand while also raising expectations for accountability. The International Energy Agency notes that mineral demand for clean energy technologies almost triples by 2030 and quadruples by 2040 in its Net Zero Emissions scenario. IRENA reports that 585 GW of renewable power capacity was added globally in 2024, bringing total renewable capacity to 4,448 GW. The message is clear: the world needs more minerals, but it increasingly expects those minerals to come with measurable, defensible sustainability outcomes.
Saudi Arabia’s opportunity is therefore not only to develop resources, but to become a place where mining is trusted by design. Trust cannot be asserted; it must be auditable. That requires moving sustainability from a narrative layer to an evidence layer, built on high-integrity operational data: water, energy, emissions, throughput, recovery, waste, and safety performance. Done well, this makes projects more investable because risks are clearer, and claims can be verified. FMF can accelerate this transition by normalising a “proof culture” across the sector, with harmonised reporting expectations, alignment on traceability approaches, and elevating technical standards that make sustainability measurable in real operations. Over time, the credibility dividend becomes a competitive advantage.
No country delivers trust alone. The private sector is essential, particularly technology leaders that sit at the intersection of industrial performance and verifiable data. Companies with deep expertise in process measurement, instrumentation and industrial digitalisation, such as KROHNE and its peers, support this shift by helping operators turn outcomes into evidence. In mining and minerals processing, the most strategic sustainability commitments ultimately rest on practical capabilities: the ability to measure water flows accurately across intake, dewatering, recycling loops and treatment discharge; the ability to stabilise slurry transport and concentrate pipelines in abrasive, variable conditions; the ability to control reagent dosing and infer density or solids content to keep flotation, thickening and filtration within target performance envelopes; and the ability to establish reliable mass balance that withstands scrutiny when value and compliance are on the line.
The innovation layer increasingly sits above this foundation. Advanced diagnostics can detect drift, fouling, entrained gas, sensor degradation or process anomalies early, reducing downtime and preventing quality and reporting surprises. Remote verification and predictive maintenance reduce the operational cost of reliability in geographically dispersed operations. AI-driven analytics, when applied responsibly in industrial settings, can convert streams of instrument and process data into earlier warnings and better decisions. Importantly, the purpose is not to replace metallurgists or operators, but to strengthen operational control and reduce uncertainty. Uncertainty in mining is expensive, both financially and reputationally, and best avoided.
FMF also provides a platform to elevate a long-term multiplier: talent and applied research. Modern mining is multi-disciplinary. Metallurgy increasingly intersects with data governance and cyber-physical risk. Water treatment intersects with automation and verification protocols. Sustainability intersects with assurance. Partnerships between operators, technology providers and universities can build regional excellence in measurement science, uncertainty analysis, calibration regimes, data integrity, and industrial AI governance. It is these capabilities that underpin trust at scale and differentiate a mining ecosystem globally.
If FMF continues to evolve from a convening moment into a standards-and-capability engine, Saudi Arabia’s influence in mining will be felt far beyond the Middle East. The centre of gravity will shift not only because projects are built here, but because the region becomes a place where mining is measurable by design, therefore more credible, more financeable, and more resilient. In the next era of critical minerals, the most valuable output may be confidence: confidence in supply, compliance, and impact. FMF can be the catalyst that helps Saudi Arabia manufacture that confidence at scale, with private-sector technology leaders supporting the transformation from aspiration into auditable reality.
By – https://www.arabnews.jp/en/business/article_162386/