Antonina Levashenko, Head of the International Best Practices Analysis Department at the Gaidar Institute told Nezavisimaya Gazeta how the development of artificial intelligence and electric transport is changing the global demand for metals and what opportunities this opens up for Russia.
According to the expert, lithium, nickel, copper, aluminum and rare-earth metals are becoming vital resources for the development of digital infrastructure and the energy sector. They are essential for the production of batteries, electric motors and equipment for data centers whose energy consumption is growing rapidly. At the same time, the primary benefits accrue to countries that control not only the extraction of raw materials, but also their processing and the manufacturing of finished products.
A separate area is energy storage systems for data centers. These systems ensure the uninterrupted operation of servers during power outages and allow for more efficient energy use. The proliferation of electric vehicles, with sales rising amid energy challenges and a drive to reduce dependence on petroleum products, is creating additional demand for batteries.
“In the context of the described trends in expanding energy consumption in Russia, the most export-oriented resources are nickel, copper and aluminum, which can meet the main electrical demand of enterprises. At the same time, lithium in Russia is a new raw material market, since there are no own enterprises specifically for the primary extraction of lithium," Antonina Levashenko explained.