Technology

Evergreen Data Solution orchestrates the transformation of fragmented subsurface data into a unified, continuously improving, AI-ready foundation, enabling seamless access and trusted use across systems and environments (image courtesy of Viridien).

Viridien has launched Evergreen Data Solution, a scalable, AI-powered approach to subsurface data transformation that enables asset teams to access, trust, and use complex data faster, reducing cycle times and improving decision-making for more-informed exploration and development

Building on Viridien’s established digital transformation technology and expertise, the new solution directly addresses the modern challenges of ever-growing, fragmented subsurface data by making it readily available, validated, and completely analytics-ready.

Orchestrated data transformation

Evergreen Data Solution extends far beyond traditional data management, uniquely combining Viridien’s deep geoscience expertise with advanced AI technologies. It works to continuously improve how data is classified, curated, contextualised, and validated across the board.

The solution automatically ingests, standardises, and delivers data across files, systems of record, and applications. By successfully handling unstructured, semi-structured, and structured formats, it creates a unified, interpretation- and 'AI-ready' data foundation.

This system replaces episodic, manual preparation with a fully orchestrated transformation engine that keeps subsurface data usable, consistent, and trusted as it evolves, operating seamlessly across on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments.

Peter Whiting, executive vice president, geoscience, Viridien, said, "Viridien’s Evergreen Data Solution combines AI, data science and domain expertise to form a live, continuously updated data foundation of all available geoscience and seismic data. It interacts with data of all types and the third-party applications commonly used by our clients. The data foundation provides the full set of decision-quality data that rapidly improves exploration and production outcomes and enables further AI-based advanced analytics. Viridien is the key strategic partner for accelerating the success of our clients."

Seamless access and trust

Evergreen Data Solution orchestrates the transformation of fragmented subsurface data into a unified, continuously improving, 'AI-ready' foundation, enabling seamless access and trusted use across diverse systems and environments. Viridien ensures energy sector asset teams can confidently accelerate their digital transformation journeys and optimise subsurface outcomes by bridging the gap between raw data and actionable insights.

The collaboration will support real-time decision making across wells, facilities and production systems. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

SLB has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qualcomm Technologies to enable edge AI solutions for the energy industry, with a focus on enabling AI applications across production operations

The collaboration combines Qualcomm Technologies’ low-power edge computing and AI processing capabilities, with SLB’s Agora edge AI and IoT solutions developed for remote and complex environments, supporting real-time operational decision-making across wells, facilities and production systems.

With energy operators increasingly adopting automation and autonomous workflows across production environments, demand for agentic AI systems that can run closer to operations is rising, given they can support more responsive and resilient operations in remote environments where connectivity, latency and operational continuity are critical. This collaboration is expected to help operators modernise legacy operational environments while strengthening cybersecurity across operational technology.

“Together, SLB and Qualcomm Technologies aim to help operators apply AI more effectively across energy infrastructure,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president, Digital, SLB. “Many energy operations rely on real-time decision-making in remote environments where connectivity and responsiveness directly affect performance. AI systems designed around the realities of energy operations can help support more consistent and autonomous workflows across those environments.”

“Many industrial environments require AI systems that can operate with limited power, constrained connectivity, separation between operational technology and information technology environments, and real-time operational demands,” said Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group GM, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, and Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This collaboration brings Qualcomm Technologies’ low-power AI processing closer to energy operations, alongside operating assets, helping enable edge intelligence for new use cases and supporting progress toward more autonomous workflows.”

SLB to Acquire Tachyus

SLB has announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Tachyus Corp., a Houston-based technology company specialising in high-speed reservoir modelling and optimisation

This acquisition of the artificial intelligence-driven, physics-based modeling software company aims to meaningfully enhance SLB's reservoir management, production, and recovery capabilities across the energy sector. The transaction is expected to close shortly after the signing of the agreement, subject to the satisfaction of customary operational conditions.

Strategic portfolio enhancements

The proposed acquisition significantly strengthens SLB's overarching digital portfolio with differentiated, physics-based reservoir modeling capabilities. These advanced digital tools enable faster reservoir management decisions, which are critical to helping operators maximise overall resource recovery. Additionally, the integrated technology helps bridge the traditional gap between long-term development planning and active production execution across both complex and highly mature assets.

Highlighting the strategic importance of this move, Rakesh Jaggi, president of SLB's Digital business, stated, “Reservoir management is becoming increasingly dynamic as operators look to maximise recovery from existing assets”. Jaggi further elaborated on the expected synergies, stating, “The addition of Tachyus will strengthen our ability to deliver operational reservoir management workflows that help customers manage and optimise complex enhanced oil recovery schemes”.

Bridging planning and operations

As operators continually work to maximise recovery from their existing assets and simultaneously improve operational efficiency, the industry demand is rapidly increasing for technologies that support continuous reservoir management. While traditional high-fidelity reservoir simulators effectively support strategic field development decisions to optimise long-term recovery, Tachyus technologies uniquely enable operators to make more tactical decisions in response to rapidly changing operational conditions.

Tachyus achieves this by developing advanced software that seamlessly fuses machine learning with fundamental reservoir physics to effectively model reservoir behaviour under a vast array of different operating conditions. These technologies have the impressive capability to evaluate thousands of distinct reservoir scenarios in mere minutes. This rapid processing empowers reservoir and production teams to dynamically adjust field strategies based on current asset performance data while maintaining strict alignment with longer-term development plans.

The Aqueon Platform's global footprint

A core component of the newly acquired technology portfolio is the proprietary Aqueon platform. Highlighting its widespread industry adoption, the platform has already been deployed successfully across more than 7,500 wells globally. Operationally, the Aqueon platform actively supports a wide array of vital field functions, including waterflood management, precision pressure forecasting, and comprehensive production optimisation. Furthermore, it assists operators with saltwater disposal optimisation for complex unconventional operations, alongside driving enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations.

Future digital integration plans

SLB plans to seamlessly integrate Tachyus technology directly into its Delfi digital platform, as well as its Lumi data and AI platform, following the successful closing of the transaction. This deep integration is a crucial technological step that will enable robust, closed-loop reservoir and production management workflows across the organisation.

This strategic acquisition will continuously strengthen SLB's expansive capabilities in AI-driven reservoir modeling through the deployment of combined data- and physics-based models that continuously adapt to evolving reservoir behavior. In addition to acquiring these technological assets, the agreement will also bring additional, highly specialised reservoir engineering, data science, and software development expertise directly into SLB's broader digital organisation.

bp has successfully deployed multilateral well technology (MLT) in the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field development offshore Azerbaijan in the drive to maximise recovery and sustain long-term production

The introduction of multilateral well technology is expected to play a critical role in unlocking additional reserves and extending the economic life of the ACG, one of the region’ s most mature assets. It addresses the technical challenges of drilling through complex formations, alongside increasing constraints on available platform slots. By enabling multiple reservoir penetrations from a single wellbore, multilateral wells provide one of the most effective solutions for enhancing reservoir access, improving drainage efficiency, and maximising value from existing infrastructure.

“This the first time we are applying this well design in ACG, and it clearly demonstrates our commitment to deploying the right technologies to maximise recovery from our existing assets,” said Gio Cristofoli, bp regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye.

“Looking ahead, innovations such as this will be essential to sustaining long-term production and unlocking additional value. By increasing reservoir contact, improving rig productivity and operational efficiency, as well as optimising slot utilisation while making the best use of existing infrastructure, MLT is a step-change solution for well delivery in ACG. We believe it represents one of the most effective ways for us to continue delivering energy safely, efficiently and responsibly, while extending the life of this world-class asset.”

Following the successful drilling of the first MLT well – C44, the first multilateral well ever drilled in the Caspian, bp plans to drill further multilateral wells across the field. Three MLT wells, including C44 and D41, are scheduled to come online this year, with several more planned between 2027 and 2028.

bp’s development strategy focuses on deploying the optimal technology configuration for each subsurface target, to suit the conditions, which will involve combining MLT with other technologies such as horizontal drilling, advanced geo-steering, and smart completions, including sand control and inflow management, unlocking significant potential to further enhance recovery across the field.