Abu Dhabi’s AIQ has signed a memorandum of understanding with oilfield services firm Weatherford International to create a partnership aiming to improve energy production efficiency, using advanced automation, data-driven insights and artificial intelligence (AI).
As part of the collaboration, Weatherford’s software and hardware solutions, such as its Modern Edge suite, Unified Data Model, and WFRD Software Launchpad, will be integrated with AIQ’s AI-driven systems. This should allow operators to optimise production workflows, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency across oil and gas facilities.
Magzhan Kenesbai, Acting Managing Director of AIQ, said the partnership marked a further step in AIQ’s mission to build partnerships that accelerate the deployment of impactful AI systems across the energy value chain.
“By integrating our advanced AI-driven tools with Weatherford’s energy-specific technology, we are driving greater efficiencies to the industry through the development of scalable, automated applications,” he said.
The company, which is jointly owned by Abu-Dhabi-based Presight and state energy firm ADNOC, recently signed a $340m contract with ADNOC to deploy AI solutions across ADNOC’s upstream value chain.
Under a three-year contract, ENERGYai and related AI solutions will be rolled out across ADNOC’s upstream operations. Developed by AIQ with Microsoft and UAE-based G42, ENERGYai combines large language models (LLMs) with agentic AI – that is AI that can work autonomously without human intervention.
AIQ says the solution uses LLMs to enable engineers to “talk” to ADNOC’s proprietary data, thus improving individual productivity and delivering new insights and opportunities across a range of critical tasks, from seismic analysis to geological modelling and real-time process monitoring.
The companies said in January that a 90-day trial of ENERGYai had produced “promising real-world results, including a 70% improvement in accuracy in major seismic interpretation aspects and significant improvements in advanced reservoir monitoring and anomaly detection”.
Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Upstream’s CEO said the move advanced ADNOC’s mission to become “the world’s most AI-enabled energy company”.
Raised profile
The Weatherford agreement is the latest in a series of partnership agreements that AIQ has signed with leading oilfield services and technology firms, as it seeks to become established as a major player in AI development for the energy sector.
In March, AIQ signed a collaboration project agreement with SLB to develop autonomous energy operations through use of the Agora edge AI and internet of things solutions. Agora edge offers real-time remote connectivity and the ability to host AI applications for autonomous operations.
Additionally, SLB and AIQ plan to develop a framework to accelerate the deployment of edge AI workflows, including AIQ’s RoboWell autonomous well control solutions, and SLB’s suite of edge AI applications to accelerate the integration of AI in upstream and downstream operations.
Further energy sector solutions are being developed by AIQ under a pact with ADNOC, Baker Hughes, and Corva, announced in December. Their joint AI Rate of Penetration (ROP) Optimization initiative aims to enhance drilling performance across ADNOC fields through AI deployment. It will provide real-time recommendations for optimal drilling parameters to improve operational efficiency, cost savings, and safety.
AIQ has also collaborated with a range of other tech partners since it was founded in 2020, including Microsoft, AVEVA and AWS. In April, the company also said it would integrate energy sector data held by Houston-based Gulf Energy Information with its own AI capabilities, to enhance the development of ENERGYai.
(Photo: Testing ENERGYai/ADNOC)
