MDF unlocking Alaskan potential with AI used to evaluate historical data

MDF Global is using AI to uncover potential discoveries in Alaska thanks to its Critical Metal Alliance which can access thousands of historical exploration data points.

The company has a portfolio of 25 projects, four of which are moving into feasibility studies since kickstarting the exploration model four years ago. Pic: Getty Images.

• MDF Global uses AI to assess historical exploration data in Alaska

• Company looking for tier-1 critical minerals opportunities

• Expansion planned globally to other countries like Chile

 

Special Report: MDF Global’s Critical Metal Alliance (CMA) is the largest data package of its kind on the planet with access to a treasure trove of historical exploration data across Alaska.

The CMA marks a turning point in critical mineral exploration in North America - more than a partnership between MDF Global and traditional owners in Alaska, it unlocks historical datapoints across 10 million acres of Alaskan private mineral rights.

The historical reports, dating as far back as the 1960s, contain surface sampling, drilling, geochemistry and geological maps across the state, including many assets that were sidelined in prior decades due to commodity prices or outdated geological models.

Today, thanks to modern AI-driven analysis and improved geological insights, previously uneconomic projects are being re-evaluated.

It’s similar to the model used by Kobold Metals, a US company backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and legendary VC fund Andreessen Horowitz, which raised funds at a valuation of A$4.7 billion earlier this year.

The key difference is valuation, with MDF valued around A$70m. But that could change, with MDF’s unprecedented dataset already showing signs of generating the next tier-1 opportunities.

Click here to hear directly from Managing Director Joe Webb who will be hosting a live investor briefing on Tuesday 10^th June at 12pm (AEST) hosted by Reach Markets.

Already generating tier-1 opportunities

The company has created a portfolio of 25 projects, four of which are moving into feasibility studies since kickstarting the exploration model four years ago.

These include Felix Gold, which MDF founded and seeded from scratch (still owning 11%) before listing it on the ASX.

Since inception the company has not only built a 831,000oz gold resource next to an ore-hungry Kinross mine, it has also made an exceptional antimony discovery which features five of the global top seven near-surface antimony intercepts ever recorded, according to S&P Global.

If Felix gets into production next year, this could lead to significant potential cash flows and returns to MDF.

Then there’s Copper Bay, whose Pyramid copper project already has a resource with more than A$7 billion of contained metal value.

Based on this alone, the project has the credentials to be a future mine and defined pathways to production at a targeted rate of 50,000tpa – which could put it among the 10 largest copper projects in the US.

Sector starving for fresh discoveries

The scale of the opportunity is immense. It would take hundreds of millions of dollars and years of effort to replicate this data through fresh exploration alone.

Not to mention major miners now acquire rather than discover, while juniors often struggle with capital, talent and regulation – resulting in a broken exploration model, collapsing discovery rates and a looming critical metals shortage.

This is what makes MDF’s exploration model so compelling not only as a near-term pipeline of projects but also potentially the foundational infrastructure for long-term, scalable growth in a sector starving for fresh discoveries.

Particularly appealing when you consider copper demand is expected to double between 2022 and 2035, going from 25 to 50 million tonnes per year. But only 12 discoveries were made in the recent decade - less than a tenth of the required amount as estimated by BHP.

The next step for the company is to scale this exploration model across the globe.

“Our vision is to find the metals the world needs for the electrification of its entire infrastructure,” MDF co-founder and managing director Joe Wedd said.

“Our model is capital light and highly scalable, and we now have all the ingredients to become the largest exploration platform on the planet within the next five years.”

And if that’s not enough, the team has spent the last two years preparing for its next hub – Chile – which is the world’s main source of copper and also has all the regulatory ingredients to possibly become another CMA-like deal.

10 projects annually the goal

With the CMA data set, MDF is scaling its model, targeting the addition of 10 new projects annually – aiming for a portfolio of 80 potential tier-1 or near-term production opportunities in the next five years.

Just discovering one tier-1 project could be a major success for MDF and its shareholders.

But the company’s future is not just about discovering mines. Its goal is to redefine how the exploration industry operates and become a highly profitable business that distributes proceeds from these assets to investors every year.

Webb said this was the ultimate proof of concept and opportunity alike.

“To strike a deal like this, you need the networks and pedigree to get the traditional owners to trust you with their land and strategic investors to trust you with their money – and we demonstrated this,” he said.

“The land and data access we will get now is key for our geologists to run their AI models and select the prospects with the highest chance of success.

“This unlocks the future for MDF and is a blueprint for other hubs across the globe.

“The goal here is to build a golden goose for our investors – a company that spits out cash while creating and advancing new projects. That’s what we are aiming for.”

This article was developed in collaboration with MDF Global, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.

Originally published as MDF unlocking Alaskan potential with AI used to evaluate historical data