Canada’s Athabasca Basin supplies 20% of global uranium supply with ore grades up to x100 higher than global averages — making it a cornerstone of Western uranium security.

And demand is forecast to triple by 2040 as nuclear capacity is massively built out across the world. For example, the US plans to triple its nuclear energy capacity — and so increase its uranium demand by x3 — by 2050.

The challenge is finding more uranium to meet demand, especially in the Athabasca Basin’s complex geology.

The rush is on, with the number of junior mining companies in the Athabasca Basin increasing 86%, from 34 in 2023, to more than 60 in 2025 — and some are turning to new tech advancements to give them an edge.

Advanced exploration technologies

Many of the current uranium producing projects were discovered in the 1970s. However, traditional uranium exploration techniques can have some very real limitations in the Athabasca Basin.

For example, airborne surveys struggle with depth and can miss subtle signals, ground surveys can be very localized and expensive; old geochemistry techniques to find uranium often miss signals that can be weak or masked.

The push for new technologies in uranium exploration in the Athabasca Basin is driven by several key factors: competition, increasing demand, the need for cost-effectiveness, the depletion of high-grade deposits, as well as safety and environmental concerns.

New technologies are changing the game for explorers:

• high-resolution seismic surveys create detailed 3D maps, revealing hidden uranium deposits
• satellite-based technologies equipped with advanced sensors to collect data on surface features, vegetation, and mineral systems in real time

The recent advances in heavy lift rocket technology (think Space Ex and the ability to launch new satellites for less cost) is democratizing the access to more in depth and frequent imagery. 

• quantum sensing to improve the sensitivity and resolution of surveys
• drone-based surveys with low-level flight capabilities to detect low levels of radiation 

In drone-based magnetometry, these instruments are mounted on drones to conduct aerial surveys. As the drone flies over the survey area, the magnetometer records magnetic field data, which is then processed to identify subsurface features such as metal objects, geological structures, or archaeological artifacts. Advanced magnetometers use highly sensitive sensors, onboard GPS, and data storage to provide accurate, real-time data collection and analysis, enabling precise mapping and detection even in challenging terrains.

General Drone Benefits:

• Lower operational and acquisition costs
• Ability to fly low and slow and overlap flight paths to ensure greater data integrity and granularity 
• Easily deployable leading to lower cost of keeping information current – get new imagery faster and more often
• Ability to change sensors from magnetometry to LiDAR (for granular terrain mapping) to orthophotgrammetry to true color (detailed multispectral analysis) to chemical analysis detectors

Drones are increasing in utility and will soon be able to carry more useful payloads to support exploration at a fraction of the cost of conventional methods. 

• artificial intelligence and machine learning optimise drill targeting, assess previous results, and analyse large amounts of data, identifying patterns that may be missed by professionals

The ability to search past and current information in databases that can then be filtered through the lens of modern exploration techniques. Combine data from daily drilling programs into database and use Ai to analyze results, detect anomalies and make decisions in the field in real time. 

Combine geology with drill data, geochemistry and geophysics and multiple generations of surface and airborne geophysics. 

• biochemical exploration using plants and microorganisms as indicators for finding uranium deposits 
• sonic and directional drilling allows for faster penetration and more efficient drilling through difficult surface conditions, reducing the need for multiple holes (so, the environmental impact) and improving sample quality
• new extraction methods, including Surface Access Borehole Resource Extraction (SABRE) technology with high-pressure water jet drilling makes smaller, high-grade deposits economically viable

All of this means reduced costs, faster data analysis, expanded targeting, and increased discovery rates.

Real time information allowing exploration experts to benefit from a fulsome common operating picture that combines historical information with advanced analytics and information coming from the active drilling program – this is the future of developing more assets at a lower cost. 

Perhaps the most high-profile example of advanced exploration methods being deployed, is Kobold Metals, backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. The company boasts to be “the world’s largest R&D effort to advance the frontier of exploration technology with AI and novel hardware” — investing US$100million annually across 70+ projects globally with AI, geoscience and data aggregation. The company is valued at nearly US$3billion after a Series C funding round raised US$537million.

One of the companies at the forefront of deploying this new technology in the Athabasca Basin is Genesis AI Corp, which has developed machine learning solutions specifically for mining exploration. Their artificial intelligence GeoHarmony module aims to optimize exploration by analyzing vast amounts of geological data — equivalent to hundreds of millions of pages — to unlock previously inaccessible insights. The system incorporates deep learning for prospectivity mapping, helping companies develop new exploration targets by analyzing complex patterns across geological, geochemical, and geophysical datasets. This type of technology allows exploration companies to leverage decades of historical data that would be impractical to analyze through traditional methods.

In the Athabasca Basin, these new technologies have revealed the western region of the basin may hold as many world-class discoveries as the east.

F3 Uranium Corp. (TSXV: FUU, OTCQB: FUUFF) is a Canadian junior mining company at the forefront of this technological revolution. The company has assembled an award-winning team responsible for three major uranium discoveries in the Athabasca Basin, including the J Zone at Waterbury, Fission Uranium’s Triple R deposit at PLS, and most recently the JR Zone at PLN.

The company’s Patterson Lake North project has yielded the JR Zone, which has intercepts like 15.0m @ 6.97% U3O8, including 1.0m @ 59.2% U3O815. Recent drill results from PLN24-176 at the JR Zone returned 4.5m of 50.1% U3O8, including 7.5m of 30.9% U3O8, marking the best hole drilled to date — demonstrating that strategy, focus, and technological innovation can yield world-class results without billion-dollar budgets.

Advanced techniques: F3 uses high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys, along with innovative approaches to radon surveys and underwater spectrometer analysis. They have also developed a patent-pending high-resolution airborne radiometric and magnetic survey system, as well as a patent-pending radiometric technique

Strategic focus: F3 concentrates its efforts in the western region of the Athabasca Basin and along strike from known mineralisation

AI implementation: the company has started implementing AI and machine learning to optimize drill targeting and assess previous drilling results

Efficient drilling: F3 employs sonic drilling to improve efficiency and reduce costs

“At F3, we’re not just exploring for uranium; we’re pioneering the future of discovery. Our team’s track record of three major finds in the Athabasca Basin speaks volumes about our ability to think outside the box. We’re leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI-optimized drill targeting, quantum sensing, and our patent-pending airborne radiometric systems to unlock the basin’s potential. At F3, we’re proving that junior explorers can punch above their weight”

— Dev Randhawa, CEO, F3 Uranium Corp

Conclusion

The Athabasca Basin is undergoing a historical transformation, and companies like F3 Uranium are well-positioned to play a significant role in securing the West’s nuclear future.