Drill, baby, drill but smartly

• The oil major uses AI to vastly improve its exploration accuracy

- SUDHIR CHOWDHARY

THE TRADITIONAL EXPLORATION approach in oil and gas sector is expensive, risky, and prone to mistakes, as it relies heavily on human fieldwork. Even drilling dry holes hit oil and gas companies where it hurts — their wallets. The investment poured into geological assessment, drilling and testing goes up in smoke when the well doesn't deliver. Artificial intelligence (AI) reduces the likelihood of such costly surprises and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is showing the way forward.

This state-owned enterprise, which produces nearly 68% of indigenous crude oil and 54% of country's gas production, has made judicious use of AI technologies, such as machine learning and data analytics, thereby improving the accuracy of exploration predictions and resource estimation.