Tech transforms Saudi energy

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s digitisation drive – led by Saudi Aramco – is reshaping value creation in oil and gas and beyond. With determined investments in AI, smart oil and gasfields, and advanced data platforms, the nation is improving capital efficiency, reducing emissions and solidifying its tech-forward development plans.

From sensors in the sand to automation in the control room, Saudi Arabia is fast-tracking technological adoption across its oil and gasfields to unlock new efficiencies and boost long-term returns. Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation is being driven by state policies and efforts from the private sector under Vision 2030 to increase oil production and achieve net-zero emissions, with a critical focus on AI.
A major milestone in the country’s digitisation agenda was the launch of the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) in August 2019. The state-run authority aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global AI hub through its National Strategy for Data and AI, with the technology projected to contribute USD 135.2 billion – equivalent to approximately 12% of GDP – to the economy by 2030. In January 2020 SDAIA and the Ministry of Energy launched the Artificial Intelligence Center for Energy to unite energy and AI experts in developing strategies to digitise the energy sector alongside Saudi Aramco.
Saudi Arabia’s NOC is seen as an essential force to encourage domestic players to rapidly digitise operations and remain at the cutting edge of global innovation. “Our pivot to becoming a technology solutions company is additive to our topline growth, and we also expect the quality of the company’s revenue to improve, which will enhance our capital returns profile,” said Naif Al Hadrami, executive director of oilfield services giant National Energy Services Reunited Corporation (NESR). “Our focus on technology is highly collaborative with our customers, and Saudi Aramco has been a foremost supporter in this regard.”

ARAMCO’S DIGITAL ROUTE: Since launching its digitisation strategy in 2017, Aramco has significantly reinforced its digital infrastructure. Key initiatives include the establishment of its 4IR Center as a testing hub for Fourth Industrial Revolution innovations; the Upstream Innovation Center as the core platform for deploying new technologies in the field; the launch of the 55.4-petaflop Dammam-7 supercomputer; and the creation of the Saudi Accelerated Innovation Lab, under whose umbrella two new centres will be launched in Riyadh by 2026 to provide technological tools for government and manufacturing.
Another key milestone was the launch of MetaBrain, one of the world’s first large language models dedicated to industrial advancements. Trained on 90 years of the company’s proprietary data, the model is set to revolutionise all areas of the company’s operations with its in-depth analytical capabilities.
Aramco is accelerating its digital push through partnerships with major global technology entities. At the Global AI Summit in Riyadh in September 2024, the company announced plans to establish one of the world’s largest inferencing data centres in Saudi Arabia in collaboration with AI inference specialist Groq. At the summit, the NOC also unveiled the world’s first processing chip supporting 5G at 450 MHz, developed in collaboration with Qualcomm, which will be deployed in Aramco’s energy assets. The company has also signed a deal with Microsoft and AI software entity Armada to integrate technology to create industrial distribution cloud hubs.

SMART FIELDS IN ACTION: A prime example of Aramco’s on-the-ground digital technology deployment is the 2,890-square-kilometre Khurais oilfield west of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest play and the fourth-largest in the world. Brought on line in 2009, the field maintains a production capacity of 1.5 million bopd and is regarded as one of the world’s largest conventional smart fields, driven by the NOC’s ongoing technological advancements.
In 2017, it became Saudi Aramco’s second facility to join the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network in 2020, which recognises the world’s most technologically advanced operational sites. Today, Khurais incorporates more than 40,000 sensors that monitor its more than 500 wells. The NOC has also developed an in-house AI tool at the site to optimise fuel gas consumption in boilers, employed robotics and drones to enhance the safety and effectiveness of maintenance operations and implemented a pipeline management system that uses fibre optics as sensors to detect potential leaks. Digitisation in the field has yielded a 15% boost in production, and troubleshooting response times have been halved.
Another direct application of Saudi Aramco’s AI and big data capabilities is in monitoring flaring activities across its operations, leading to a more than 50% reduction in flaring between 2010 and 2025. This progress stems from the deployment of more than 18,000 sensors across gas-related facilities, enabling engineers to pinpoint critical areas and mitigate pressure buildup. As a result of these initiatives, Saudi Arabia has maintained flare volumes below 1% of total gas production over the past 10 years. Looking ahead, the country aims to eliminate flaring entirely by 2030 as part of its decarbonisation strategy, relying heavily on advanced digital technologies to achieve this goal.

HOMEGROWN DIGITAL: As the global digital oilfield sector grows from a value of USD 43.7 billion in 2025 to a projected USD 719 billion by 2035, Saudi Arabia’s private sector is establishing itself as a leading contender on the global digital stage. According to Hadrami, players such as NESR are upping their game to remain competitive: “We have been investing in next-generation technology, not only in the core business but also in frontier areas such as Tier 1 directional drilling – rotary steerable systems, logging-while-drilling, measurement-while-drilling – whose commercialisation is now expected to drive the next phase of transformative growth for NESR.”
Other players are using Saudi Arabia’s highly digitised oil and gas industry as a fertile testing ground for innovations. Technology provider WellsX, developer of the ECO platform, has deployed the tool for planning, drilling and completing oil and gas wells. “Currently, drilling rigs and other equipment and technologies are already operating at very high standards. The question then becomes how to take the person out of the equation,” Kamil Zakirov, chairman of WellsX, told The Energy Year. “ECO addresses this by providing a system capable of understanding, in real time, everything that takes place during drilling.”

Photo of Dammam 7 supercomputer courtesy of Saudi Aramco

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