Saudi Aramco Development Company, a subsidiary of Aramco, and Cognite AS, a leading industrial software company, have agreed to establish a joint venture to progress digitalisation in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East and North Africa region
The JV will develop, distribute and deploy end-to-end digital and advanced solutions for customers across industries, including oil and gas, power and utilities, manufacturing and shipping.
The solutions will enable the digital transformation of companies through production and yield optimisation, predictive maintenance, workforce digitalisation, advanced safety measures and a reduced environmental footprint of industrial operations. The JV will leverage Cognite’s flagship industrial data platform, Cognite Data Fusion, as its core technology and will harness cloud capabilities for data hosting, analytics and artificial intelligence.
Aramco and Cognite expect the JV to be operational in 2021, following receipt of all required regulatory clearances.
Aramco senior vice-president of technical services, Ahmad Al Sa’adi, said, “Aramco has pursued an ambitious digital transformation programme with the goal of transforming the company into the world's leading digitalised energy corporation, maximising value for shareholders and spearheading digital innovation in the energy sector globally. The JV with Cognite aims to create advanced end-to-end digital software solutions in Saudi Arabia, which will maximise local content, contribute to GDP growth, create new jobs, accelerate digital talent development and sustain Aramco’s resilience.”
Øyvind Eriksen, president and CEO of Aker ASA and chairman of Cognite’s board of directors said, “We are committed to making our strategic partnership with the world’s largest integrated oil and gas company a resounding success. We believe Aramco’s deep operational expertise, combined with Cognite’s track record of developing and deploying industrial software for digital frontrunners, will be a powerful catalyst for the commercial success of the joint venture and the advancement of digital transformation across heavy-asset industries.”
