IBM and Schlumberger launch a hybrid cloud enterprise solution designed with the energy exploration and production ecosystem in mind.
Software and the cloud have revolutionized various industries over the past decade, becoming such a dominant force in business that even oilfield company Schlumberger now classifies itself as a technology company. Companies that fail to get on board the digital train are quickly left in the dust, regardless of industry. This may be even more true of the energy sector, which might not seem like an industry waiting to be revolutionized by computers and machine learning with the images of oil wells and gas exploration.
Cheap and easy oil has already been tapped, and the future of the industry hinges on being able to continue to produce cheaply with ever more difficult methods and extraction processes. Producers need to know their wells are optimized and getting maximum bang for their buck. 3D modelling, high-powered simulations, analytics and machine learning make this possible, but none of that is possible without specialized software that must be accessible at all times to teams scattered across the globe in remote locations looking for oil.
Schlumberger and IBM recognize the importance of the cloud in the oil and gas industry and have worked to launch a commercial hybrid cloud data platform. Built on IBM’s Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, the new offering is designed to allow customers to share data in a centralized location across every application in their exploration to production ecosystem. IBM and Schlumberger’s hybrid cloud opens more access to companies in all regions of the world who need to be able to work quickly and smartly on projects, especially those where local regulations affect the use of the global public cloud.
“As momentum grows for the OSDU Data Platform, we are offering the industry’s first commercial hybrid cloud Enterprise Data Management Solution to leverage its advanced capabilities to help customers in all regions make faster decisions and optimize operational efficiency,” said Rajeev Sonthalia, President Digital & Integration at Schlumberger. “Our solution was developed to accelerate digitalization for all by enabling data to be connected and managed at an unprecedented scale, empowering AI and data analytics workflows that deliver new insights for operators to help drive increased production, cost optimization, and improved business performance.”
“This collaboration is a game changer for energy operators to drive higher performance and greater efficiencies by now enabling integrated workflows and innovation using AI. The hybrid cloud solution allows clients to maintain the sovereignty of their data and also gives them options as to how they choose to leverage the solution, with the freedom to deploy on a range of infrastructures or a regional cloud provider,” said Manish Chawla, Global Industry Managing Director for energy, resources and manufacturing at IBM.
IBM will continue to help customers in the oil and gas sector do what is necessary to reduce costs, automate and optimize their processes and make better use of decades worth of data through machine learning.
The oil industry has its challenges and cannot avoid facing pushback from environmental activists, decreased demand and electric vehicles continuing to take market share. Solutions like this help the exploration and production process become more efficient, and thus more sustainable. There is a place for oil and gas in the long-term energy ecosystem of the planet with proper management of its impacts on the environment and continued investment into new sources of energy.
