5 ways bp uses AI and other tech to drive performance

bp is harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies to enhance performance across its US operations.

From optimizing its Gulf of America drilling to boosting operational efficiency and safety at its Indiana and Washington state refineries, the company is embedding those tools into its businesses to unlock new opportunities and value.

“Our technology agenda is central to growing oil and gas, central to helping us focus our downstream business and to invest in the transition with discipline,” Emeka Emembolu, bp executive vice president, technology, told Bloomberg News.

This work is critically important for bp and the US, with every major business represented here. The company is continuing to invest in the country, especially in oil and gas production to meet rising demand.

Here are five ways bp uses technology to enhance performance:

1. Optimizing oil and gas drilling

bp uses technology powered by the company’s Houston-based high performance computing center that significantly reduces the time required to determine optimal paths for drilling in places like the Gulf of America and Permian Basin. The tool evaluates geological data to determine the best and safest drilling trajectories, cutting what used to be a months-long process down to just days. The better bp understands what’s below the ground and seabed, the more easily we can find and recover the most profitable barrels of oil.

2. Digital modeling

bp has paired AI with cloud-based virtual models of its offshore platforms to help plan maintenance jobs remotely and improve the way highly complex systems work. The virtual models, known as “digital twins,” can be viewed anywhere with online access, reducing the time needed for people to travel offshore. The twins use laser scan technology and machine learning to collect data and help prioritize areas that need attention.

It’s one of the technologies helping bp’s efforts to operate safely and more efficiently.

3. Improving onshore efficiency

bpx energy, bp’s US onshore oil and gas business, is piloting AI-generated “morning reports,” with key production insights that help to direct frontline work. This use of AI is helping bpx further increase efficiency in its operations and reduce costs.

4. Faster data analysis

bp’s refineries are partnering with companies that specialize in developing software for data analysis and intelligence, aiming to unlock improvements in operations and competitiveness. At its Whiting refinery, located in northwest Indiana near Chicago, teams are exploring the use of such technology to rapidly interpret information and deliver insights directly to front line operators and skilled-trades personnel. They can also use it to analyze near-real-time data to support pre-job safety checks and make prompt budget decisions that could drive cost savings.

5. Preventing disruptions

bp uses a machine learning tool to support and enhance human expertise in detecting and predicting issues with offshore production equipment in the Gulf of America. The system warns about potential problems such as equipment failures, helping teams proactively address those issues before they escalate. This can reduce challenges to production and improve reliability.