Technology

The acquisition creates a comprehensive and industry-leading drilling automation portfolio. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Halliburton is strengthening its drilling automation services offering with the acquisition of Sekal, a leader in advanced drilling automation solutions

The acquisition of Sekal, formerly a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, combines Halliburton’s LOGIX automation and remote operations with Sekal’s advanced DrillTronics automation platform and services to deliver a comprehensive and industry-leading drilling automation portfolio. These solutions can also be combined with Halliburton’s LOGIX Automated Geosteering service, which combines automation, real-time intelligence and advanced geological modelling to optimise well placement, maximise recovery and improve operational efficiency. This integration supports seamless automated control and optimisation of drilling operations, integrating well placement, wellbore hydraulics, and rig operations in real time.

The Halliburton-Sekal automation solution is currently deployed across a number of projects worldwide and provides real-time advanced models of subsurface, wellbore fluid, and pressure systems, along with smart directional drilling tools and automated rig controls, thereby facilitating accurate drilling and well placement along with automated tripping operations and enabling a reduction of up to 25% in well delivery times.

"This acquisition rapidly expands our automation capabilities and delivers industry-leading digital solutions that lower well construction costs, increase recovery, and reduce operational risks for our customers. By bringing together our field-proven technologies, we unlock the full potential of digital well construction and set a new standard for automated drilling operations", said Jim Collins, vice president, Halliburton Sperry Drilling.

Jarle Vaag, Sekal CEO, added, "Joining Halliburton is a natural evolution for Sekal. The team at Sekal has worked closely with our clients providing our technology and services to the industry regardless of the service providers. While we will continue to support this market, the opportunity with the combined expertise of Halliburton and Sekal to advance our technical capability and accelerate the adoption of digitally integrated well construction will deliver a unique automation solution to our new and existing customers worldwide."

The collaboration will help reduce exploration uncertainty for customers. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

TGS has announced an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) which is set to accelerate its AI/ML-driven seismic imaging and analytics, enabling subsurface data to be more swiftly translated into actionable insights

Under the agreement, TGS will build on its existing relationship with AWS by designating AWS as its preferred cloud provider, leveraging AWS high-performance computing (HPC) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to build solutions that will transform exploration and development by accelerating time-to-insight and reducing exploration uncertainty for TGS' customers.

This collaboration includes the modernisation of TGS Imaging AnyWare on AWS and leveraging cloud elasticity to further optimise processing workflows. By leveraging the latest NVIDIA instances and selectively adopting specialized AWS hardware accelerators, TGS enables high-definition seismic imaging, including compute-intensive Elastic Full Waveform Inversion (eFWI), and delivers petabyte-scale multi-client data to customers on demand. These solutions are built on a secure, elastic, and resilient multi-region architecture, leveraging the AWS Nitro System to isolate and protect sensitive customer workloads.

"This partnership represents the moment when the power of Generative AI meets the complexity of geoscience,' said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS. "By moving TGS Data Verse, the largest subsurface seismic library, and the TGS Imaging AnyWare platform to AWS, we are co-innovating to deliver an exploration-ready atlas of the subsurface. This collaboration translates subsurface data into strategic intelligence with unprecedented scale and speed, marking a fundamental shift that will accelerate prospect generation and create competitive advantages for our customers."

TGS is deploying a multi-modal Subsurface Foundation Model (SFM) built on Amazon Bedrock and powered by Amazon SageMaker HyperPods, which will simultaneously process diverse data types, to achieve a comprehensive subsurface understanding.

"TGS' selection of AWS as their preferred cloud provider demonstrates how industry leaders are leveraging cloud computing and generative AI to transform energy exploration," said Uwem Ukpong, vice president, AWS Industries. "By combining AWS advanced computing and AI capabilities with TGS' domain expertise and extensive energy data library, energy companies can unlock greater value from seismic data. Additionally, through Open Subsurface Data Universe (OSDU) Energy Data Integration with TGS, companies across the energy sector can seamlessly integrate data, optimise exploration workflows, reduce risk, and make more confident decisions through intelligent analysis of complex subsurface data."

SLB is expanding its technology collaboration with NVIDIA to design and deploy critical AI infrastructure and models for the energy industry

It follows the announcement of plans in 2024 to develop generative artificial intelligence solutions for the energy sector using NVIDIA software integrated with SLB’s Delfi digital platform and Lumi data and AI platform.

The initiative covers traditional machine learning, generative AI and emerging agentic AI technologies designed to improve performance and support reliable, efficient and lower-carbon energy systems.

Three strategic elements

It focuses on three strategic elements:
• Modular design for data centres: SLB will serve as the modular design partner for NVIDIA DSX AI factories, driving increased quality and reliability while also reducing costs, labour constraints and lead times, as well as enabling rapid and flexible scaling
• AI Factory for Energy: SLB will work with NVIDIA to develop an “AI Factory for Energy,” a reference environment powered by domain-specific generative AI models and industrial-scale agentic AI. This will run on SLB’s digital platforms to help energy companies scale AI for their data and operations.
• Accelerated computing for SLB digital platforms: The companies will optimise the processing of large datasets and AI models across SLB digital platforms using the latest NVIDIA AI infrastructure, boosting performance and efficiency in energy applications.

“The winners in AI will be companies with the best data, the deepest domain expertise and the ability to scale,” said Demos Pafitis, SLB’s chief technology officer. “By collaborating with NVIDIA to advance modular data centre construction and harness our domain expertise and digital platforms, we’re enabling the energy industry to deploy AI at scale and transform operational data into smarter decisions.”

"AI is becoming the engine of a new industrial revolution, and the energy industry is at its forefront," said Vladimir Troy, vice president of AI Infrastructure at NVIDIA. "Building AI Factory infrastructure and domain models is needed to turn massive amounts of energy data into actionable insights and accelerate more efficient and sustainable energy systems."

Starlink services will now be available in Kuwait. (Image source: Alghanim Industries)

Unlocking access to SpaceX’s satellite internet network and the largest constellation of low Earth orbit satellites, Alghanim Industries (Kutayba Alghanim Group) has launched Starlink services in Kuwait through its technology venture Sama X, good news for remote offshore oil and gas facilities and maritime fleets

In Kuwait, Sama X has introduced several subscription plans with over 300 Mbps download speeds, which promise fast delivery, professional installation, and local support, including a 24/7 bilingual call centre. The service operates in accordance with Kuwait’s telecommunications regulations and the approvals issued by the relevant authorities. For inquiries, customers can call 22055736.

"The launch of Starlink services in Kuwait through Sama X marks an important step in strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure," said Kutayba Y Alghanim, executive chairman of Alghanim Industries. "At a time when reliable connectivity has become essential for business continuity and the effective functioning of key sectors, this technology provides advanced connectivity that helps organisations, governments, and communities stay connected wherever they operate — from remote worksites to critical sectors such as healthcare and education. Through this initiative, we continue to support the adoption of advanced technologies that strengthen Kuwait’s digital readiness and open new opportunities for innovation and growth."

Starlink's consistent support with reliable communication is capable of driving businesses across Kuwait, including remote offshore oil and gas installations and maritime fleets at sea. Its high-speed connectivity enhances safety and improve operational efficiency, supporting seamless streaming, cloud-based applications, and data-driven services across multiple industries.

"Making Starlink services available in Kuwait marks an important step in expanding advanced connectivity options for businesses and individuals across the country," said Amit Somani, CEO of Sama X. "At Sama X, we are focused on making this technology easy to access through fast installation and dedicated local support. Our partnership with Xcite further expands availability, allowing customers to purchase Starlink services easily through Xcite’s online channels and nationwide stores."