Partha Pratim Dev opened his session by challenging the industry to rethink its assumptions about digital twins, particularly in the context of safety critical and late-life offshore infrastructure. Representing Rosenex, he highlighted that while interest in AI is accelerating, trust remains delicate because these assets operate in unforgiving environments where the consequences of misjudgement are severe. His work on the forthcoming ISO 19901-9 update aims to address this trust gap by providing operators with a clear, internationally aligned framework for using digital twins to support structural integrity management.
Dev explained how the updated standard introduces structure into a landscape often characterised by inconsistent terminology and varied interpretations. He emphasised that digital twins should not be viewed as static visual models but as iterative systems that bring together measured behaviour, analytical modelling and engineering judgement. Offshore platforms, he noted, are notoriously challenging to inspect, with critical elements submerged or accessible only through costly interventions. Rosenex’s approach, supported by this ISO framework, enables teams to merge real world responses with validated simulations to understand deterioration more accurately and make decisions based on evidence rather than assumption.
He also addressed several misconceptions that can undermine confidence in digital twin outputs. Digital twins, he stressed, do not replace human expertise and they do not remove the need for corroboration across datasets. False positives can create unnecessary operational disruption, while false negatives carry clear safety risks, making verification essential. Dev positioned the ISO framework, and the methodology championed by Rosenex, as a means of reducing ambiguity across operators, regulators and service partners. The goal is safer life extension, more informed repurposing of ageing assets and a more responsible pathway for deploying AI in structural assessments. His closing message was simple: digital twins deliver real value only when built on transparency, validated information and disciplined engineering practice.
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