The BRUTE Armor packer. (Image source: Expro)

Expro has launched the BRUTE Armor Packer, a high-pressure, high tensile packer system, designed for the extreme conditions of deepwater wells and the highest differential pressures

The new technology gives operators the flexibility to set higher in the wellbore – saving rig time, reducing operational risk, and simplifying regulatory compliance.

According to the company, when deployed with the BRUTE 2 Storm Valve, it forms the industry’s highest-rated storm/service packer and valve combination currently available.

Following the release and successful deployment of the 12,850 psid-rated 12.15” BRUTE Armor Packer System under extreme downhole conditions, Expro has also introduced a new 20”/22” Packer System addressing the challenges of 20” and 22” retrievable mechanical packer systems, often constrained by internal diameter (ID) limitations, such as subsea high-pressure wellhead housings and supplemental casing adapters. Offering twice the element expansion capability of traditional mechanical packers, the new system delivers efficient, reliable performance for casing testing, suspension, and squeeze applications, all without compromising operational effectiveness.

The first deployment of the 20”/22” Packer System took place in June 2025, during an offshore campaign for a super-major operator in the Gulf of America. The packer passed through restrictions in the high-pressure wellhead housing and supplemental casing adapter before being installed in a larger ID below both components. It achieved full element expansion and pressure integrity on the first attempt, validating the tool’s enhanced expansion capability, enabling efficient casing isolation while reducing rig time and operational risk.

Jeremy Angelle, vice president of Well Construction commented, “This launch firmly establishes Expro’s BRUTE Packers as the industry benchmark for deepwater storm and test packers in terms of pressure and tensile strength. The modular toolset provides unparalleled flexibility, making it the most adaptable solution on the market and positions Expro as the partner of choice for next-generation 20k deepwater developments.”

The collaboration will enable TotalEnergies to extract more value from its data. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

TotalEnergies and Emerson’s Aspen Technology business are collaborating to deploy Emerson’s AspenTech Inmation across TotalEnergies’ industrial sites worldwide for the continuous, real-time collection of data

The data will be centralised and accessible securely across the organisation. It will be used to enhance decision-making, specifically through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), and to optimise operational efficiency, energy use and environmental performance at TotalEnergies sites worldwide.

The digital infrastructure, which also includes Emerson’s advanced process control solutions, will subsequently allow TotalEnergies to deploy AI use cases to improve industrial performance.

This rollout is planned over a two-year period and will ultimately enable TotalEnergies to extract more value from its data by accelerating the detection of anomalies and performance degradation; optimising energy consumption; enhancing operational safety; and speeding up the integration of AI into industrial processes.

“At TotalEnergies, digital technology is a key enabler of our transformation toward a more sustainable and efficient energy future. Our collaboration with Emerson demonstrates how advanced technologies such as Inmation help us optimise operations, reduce emissions, and generate long-term value. This collaboration is a sign of our intention to turn data and digital tech into the hallmarks of our facilities’ industrial excellence,” said Namita Shah, president of OneTech at TotalEnergies.

“Emerson’s Aspen Technology business has worked with TotalEnergies for almost 30 years, and we’re excited to continue our collaboration by supporting their operational and sustainability objectives with our digital technologies. The powerful combination of AI and our industrial data fabric solution will serve to accelerate TotalEnergies’ mission,” said Vincent Servello, president of Emerson’s Aspen Technology business.

Mohamed Zouari, general manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at Snowflake.

Mohamed Zouari, general manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at global AI and data cloud company Snowflake, argues that the future of oil and gas hinges on integrating AI and data throughout the value chain

Energy, the driver of the global economy, is undergoing one of the largest shifts of our time, propelled by hundreds of trillions of dollars in global investment over the next 25 years. The Middle East, home to the world's lowest-cost producers and the largest reserves, is positioned at the heart of this transformation. According to OPEC, the region is forecast to provide nearly 60% of global oil exports by 2050.

Against this backdrop, Middle Eastern nations are embedding digital transformation in their national strategies. The UAE’s forward-thinking initiatives, like Masdar City, alongside Saudi Arabia’s giga projects under Vision 2030, illustrate the regional ambition to lead in innovation. With oil exports comprising about 30% of the UAE’s GDP alone, the stakes are high. Data and AI are emerging as vital tools in this evolution, enabling companies to modernise infrastructure, generate real-time insights, and align operational decisions with long-term business objectives. As energy companies navigate this landscape, data and AI are becoming critical enablers for growth, operational excellence, long-term resilience and informed strategy across the oil and gas value chain.

Navigating the digital age

While the opportunity is immense, oil and gas companies face several critical challenges on the path to transformation.

One major obstacle is the need to digitise ageing infrastructure. Decades-old grids and oil wells must now integrate with millions of IoT-enabled assets like wind turbines and solar panels, creating an influx of zettabytes of operational and information technology data that requires efficient ingestion, cleaning, and analysis to drive smarter, faster decision-making.

Extreme weather, geopolitical dynamics, and the variability of renewable energy sources are contributing to more volatile commodity markets. Stable long-term contracts signed with countries like China, Japan, and India offer some security, but sophisticated data analytics are crucial to managing financial exposure and mitigating risks. Enhanced by AI and ML, predictive models can now draw on both internal and external data sources to forecast price fluctuations and demand trends more accurately, helping companies navigate volatile markets with greater confidence.

Corporations now demand rigorous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, while consumers seek intuitive, tech-driven home energy systems. Energy service providers – from utilities to oil and gas firms – must be agile, transparent, and responsive or risk falling behind.

Compounding these challenges is the overwhelming volume of unstructured data, which now represents 90% of all data according to Snowflake’s Data Trends Report. Without a centralised, secure, and scalable data infrastructure, energy companies will struggle to extract actionable insights.

AI and data strategies in practice

Modern AI and data strategies are offering new pathways to navigate this complex environment. Organisations are moving beyond traditional data management toward platforms that can unify siloed information, enable seamless collaboration across ecosystems, and deliver near real-time insights at scale.

At the core of this transformation is the ability to bring together operational, financial, and customer data into a unified environment. By doing so, oil and gas companies gain a single source of truth that supports more informed decision-making across their entire value chain – from field operations to trading desks to customer-facing platforms.

AI is also fundamentally reshaping how companies approach forecasting, maintenance, and customer engagement. Machine learning models are increasingly used to detect anomalies in equipment performance, allowing for predictive maintenance that minimises costly downtime. In trading operations, AI-driven models help forecast commodity prices with greater accuracy, enabling companies to optimise their portfolios and manage risk proactively.

For personalised customer engagement, companies can leverage real-time customer data and generative AI capabilities to deliver tailored recommendations and intuitive energy management solutions, improving satisfaction and loyalty in a highly competitive market.

Organisations that focus on building robust data foundations are better positioned to drive tangible outcomes, from optimising asset utilisation to accelerating sustainability initiatives. Snowflake’s research shows that 92% of early adopters have already realised a return on their AI investments, and 98% plan to increase AI spending in 2025.

With AI’s contribution to regional economies forecast to grow between 20% and 34%, AI is becoming a blueprint for the next generation of energy operations. The ability to seamlessly integrate and analyse vast, diverse data sets in real time is becoming a decisive competitive advantage.

The next chapter

By embracing AI and modern data strategies, oil and gas companies can digitise operations, manage volatility, anticipate customer needs, and chart a course for long-term resilience and growth – a necessary shift as fragmented data infrastructures and talent shortages remain real hurdles.

In a world increasingly defined by energy transition, those who invest early in scalable data and AI capabilities will not just survive – they will lead. The region’s commitment to digital innovation positions it well to remain a global energy powerhouse well into the future.

The Sequestri is part of SLB's full suite of complementary CCS solutions. (Image source:SLB)

Energy technology company, SLB has launched Sequestri carbon storage solutions for the most effective project delivery 

Since long-term carbon storage demands a calculated approach, the new portfolio gives customised hardware and digital workflows for improved decision-making across the full carbon storage value chain, from site selection and planning to development, operations and monitoring.

“Advanced technology solutions have a crucial role to play in shifting the economics and safeguarding the integrity of carbon storage projects,” said Katherine Rojas, SLB’s senior vice president of Industrial Decarbonisation. “The Sequestri portfolio offers a comprehensive suite of solutions that provide the precision, reliability and efficiency needed to advance carbon storage projects at every stage of their lifecycle — driving meaningful progress toward industrial decarbonisation at scale.”

The Sequestri portfolio is anchored by a network of interconnected digital technologies and services for carbon storage that provide a robust foundation for analysis and prediction. These end-to-end digital technologies harness more than 25 years of carbon capture and storage (CCS) project experience to help developers screen, rank, design, model, simulate and analyse every phase of the project lifecycle. The portfolio also includes a range of technologies which have been specifically engineered and qualified for carbon storage applications, from subsurface safety valves and measurement tools to cementing systems, including SLB’s EverCRETE CO₂-resistant cement system.

The Sequestri portfolio of carbon storage solutions, together with the SLB Capturi standard, modular carbon capture solutions, provide emitters and project developers with a full suite of complementary CCS solutions to enable decarbonisation at scale from point of capture to permanent carbon storage.