Malaysia’s Petronas is bolstering its credentials as a regional leader in artificial technology and related technologies through the creation of a hub to streamline its digital offerings and provide a gateway for engagement with the company.
The launch of the Digital Intelligence Centre (MDIC) by Petronas’ upstream arm Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), was described by the company as a milestone ints progress towards becoming an organisation anchored by digital innovation and intelligence and strengthen Malaysia’s upstream ecosystem.
MDIC is a unified digital platform that connects MPM with its national and international partners to consolidate workflows, data and intelligence in a single environment.
The result is expected to be streamlined processes, improved transparency and faster, more informed decision-making across the petroleum management lifecycle.
Partners will be able to use MDIC as a digital gateway to engage with MPM, allowing them to access consolidated and up‑to‑date information, make faster and efficient interactions via streamlined submissions and approvals on a single platform, and improve decision‑making through insights allowing better planning, optimisation and execution.
Bacho Pilong, Senior Vice President at MPM, said the move represented a shift from navigating multiple systems and touchpoints to one unified AI-enabled platform.Â
“Our aim is to institutionalise a data-driven way of working, where decisions are powered by intelligence insights that are fast, trusted, and embedded into daily operations,” he said.
Petronas also said it had signed an agreement with regional counterparts PTTEP of Thailand and Pertamina of Indonesia to collaborate on evaluation opportunities for improved offshore oil recovery.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Petronas, Petronas Carigali, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), PTTEP Sarawak Oil, PTTEP Sabah Oil and Pertamina Malaysia E&P company.
The parties aim to leverage the collective operating experience and technical expertise of the companies, alongside UTP’s specialised research capabilities and laboratory facilities.
The collaboration will focus on developing fit‑for‑purpose improved and enhanced oil recovery studies, supported by laboratory testing, with the potential to mature selected technologies and concepts towards pilot implementation.
AI strategy
The creation of the MDIC  and the technology agreement build on a series of agreements that Malaysia’s national oil company has entered into with international firms over the last two years in support of an ambitious AI strategy to drive sustainable production, and improve energy security and competitiveness.
International firms with which Petronas has forged digital technology-related partnerships over recent years include Amazon Web Services, SLB, ConocoPhillips, Microsoft, Shell, TotalEnergies and French geoscience company Beicip-Franlab, among others.
These technologies will help Petronas to pursue its growth plans, which now include the Searah 50/50 joint venture with Eni, announced in June, which combines energy businesses across Malaysia and Indonesia. The creation of Searah builds on an investment agreement announced last November.
The venture will have a portfolio of 19 gas-producing and development assets — 14 in Indonesia and 5 in Malaysia — and is targeting a rise in production to more than 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent/day (boe/d) from the current an initial production base of approximately 300,000 boe/d within the next three years.
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