In an attempt to make operations more predictive and bring artificial intelligence (AI) to the world of oil and gas, Baker Hughes GE and Nvidia have joined forces.
To try and improve on drilling techniques AI will be used both on rigs and in the cloud. “In an oil and gas field there are a lot of sensors and data in remote operations that’s collected, but very little of it is analyzed,” said Binu Mathew, global head of digital products for Baker Hughes GE.
The two companies have been working together on this for about a year now. Their aim is to develop computational models for the Internet of Things while providing analytics. So much data is available to use within the oil and gas industry.
Just one rig generates 50 terabytes of data a year from both operational and financial operations and through these sensors.
READ MORE: 10 Applications of Machine Learning in Oil & Gas
Nvidia is well known for its AI technology and techniques, which is one of the main reasons Baker Hughes GE teamed up with them. Formed back in 1993 and with its headquarters based in Santa Clara, California, Nvidia now has assets of almost $10 billion.
The company’s founders are Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. “The amount of computing power has been accelerated by Nvidia’s chips, partnerships, and overall AI ecosystem,” confirmed Mathew. “We are bringing out knowledge of analytics and the domain.”
Baker Hughes GE is one of the world’s largest oil field services companies with total assets of more than $27 billion. Founded by back in 1907, the company started off as a tool company. It then went on to acquire further business and merge with others to become what it is today.
Moving forward the two companies will look to pull their resources together to develop a number of AI, cloud-based products that will benefit the oil and gas industry. Improved diagnostics will be one area that the company will focus on.
The first of those Nvidia-Baker Hughes GE products are available to buy now. Head scientist for Baker Hughes GE Digital, Arun K. Subramaniyan, said they will be improving operations by using AI in combination with digital twins.
“We’re combining a physics-based model with AI techniques,” he advised. Will this year be the year for AI adoption worldwide in the oil and gas industry? I guess, only time will tell.
