Key Takeaways
- Equinor aims to utilize AI to achieve its ambition for the Norwegian continental shelf by 2035
- AI is crucial for solving industrial tasks safely, faster, more profitably, and at scale
- Equinor has implemented various AI solutions, including predictive maintenance, AI-driven planning, and seismic data interpretation
- The company has realized values of over $330 million with artificial intelligence in industrial processes since 2020
- Equinor aims to maintain production on the Norwegian continental shelf at 2020 levels through 2035
Introduction to Equinor’s AI Ambition
Equinor, a leading energy company, is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve its ambition for the Norwegian continental shelf by 2035. According to Hege Skryseth, executive vice president for Technology, Digital, and Innovation in Equinor, "AI is a central part of our operations. Moving forward, AI will become even more important for solving industrial tasks safely, faster, more profitably, and at scale." This emphasis on AI is driven by the company’s goal to contribute to energy security and continued value creation.
The Role of AI in Industrial Processes
Skryseth highlights the significance of AI in analyzing seismic data, planning wells and field development, and operating facilities more efficiently. As she notes, "Industrial processes generate vast amounts of data, and we can use AI to ‘produce’ knowledge from this data. This has already been transformative and profitable, even though we are still early in the AI revolution." Equinor currently has a range of AI solutions in use, and over a hundred new use cases have been identified. These solutions include monitoring of rotating machines, AI-driven planning of wells and field development, and seismic data interpretation.
AI Solutions in Use
Three valuable contributors that have been implemented by Equinor are: monitoring of over 700 rotating machines with 24,000 sensors, AI-driven planning of wells and field development, and seismic data interpretation. The predictive maintenance solution has created value of $120 million since 2020, while the AI-driven planning solution saved the partnership $12 million in the Johan Sverdrup phase 3. Additionally, the seismic data interpretation tool has provided a tenfold increase in interpretation capacity, enabling the company to interpret more data and cover more square kilometers.
Realized Values and Future Plans
Since 2020, Equinor has realized values of over $330 million with artificial intelligence in industrial processes, with $130 million coming in 2025. Skryseth notes that the company primarily uses "traditional" machine learning on its operational data, and employees can use AI tools like copilots, chatbots, and agentic AI to solve tasks and work in new ways. Looking ahead, Equinor aims to maintain production on the Norwegian continental shelf at 2020 levels through 2035, which means around 1.2 million barrels of oil equivalents per day.
The Future of AI at Equinor
As Skryseth explains, "We use AI to interpret more seismic data, plan and drill more wells, and operate our facilities safely and profitably, while also using the technology to optimize energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions." The company’s commitment to AI is evident in its plans to continue leveraging the technology to drive innovation and growth. At the NHO’s annual conference, Skryseth will speak about AI at Equinor, what Norway should focus on, and how she believes AI agents will change the way we work. As she notes, AI is a key component of Equinor’s strategy, and its potential to transform the energy industry is vast.
https://www.equinor.com/news/20260107-artificial-intelligence-saved-equinor-usd-130-million