Another industry event of relevance. This time we attended PDAC held in Toronto ‘the northern version of Australia aka Canada’.
There is no shortage of quality on display. Quality exploration projects, presentations as well as companies and technology on display.
Despite what we are seeing in the world at the moment, the uncertainty and concern, there is a high level of optimism amongst exhibitors and presenters alike. Prices going north and likely to stay there for a while yet certainly help the optimism levels. Further helped (or fuelled) at the event by the announcement of the Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL). A $40 million initiative aiming to be a game changer for explorers, as it digitises drill core data to accelerate the pace of mineral discovery and ensures that Canada remain globally competitive in an increasingly digital world. From an Australian perspective it was interesting to hear Canada’s The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources talk about critical minerals sitting at the “centre of Canada’s economic growth and security, climate ambition and defence readiness”, simply swap Canada for Australia and you have the same position Downunder.
Innovation, and relevant applications for AI / LLMs, are again on display, far and wide throughout the exploration and mining chain. No longer content as playing a side show AI had its own dedicated program at “Mining Meets AI,” where experts are demonstrating how machine learning and large language models (LLMs) are transforming the way companies evaluate complex geological data to identify the next generation of targets. Not only demonstrating the tech but where the maturity element is now on display is the tech combined with implementation strategies and commercial models that are aligned to the promised outcomes. This is clearly a sign of entering the second phase of the hype, the part where we get to test it in real world commercial environments.
The traditional spirit of exploration remains alive and well (and very happy) in the Core Shack and Prospectors Tent. These areas offer a hands on look at the physical evidence of new discoveries, providing a vital platform for independent prospectors to showcase their projects alongside the high tech displays of major producers. Much of this activity is centered on the critical minerals like; lithium, copper, and cobalt, all essential for the global clean-energy transition.
We expect this theme to continue at the likes of GRx 2026, IMARC and other major mining shows. Although potentially with a bit more short term caution depending on the next few months of events in the Middle East.
