ExxonMobil to increase Permian profitability through digital partnership with Microsoft
ExxonMobil has announced a new partnership with Microsoft will make its Permian Basin operations the largest-ever oil and gas acreage to use cloud technology and is expected to generate billions in net cash flow over the next decade through improvements in analyses and enhancements to operational efficiencies.
The application of Microsoft technologies by ExxonMobil’s XTO Energy subsidiary – including Dynamics 365, Azure, Machine Learning and Internet of Things – is anticipated to improve capital efficiency and support Permian production growth by as much as 50,000 BOED by 2025.
“The combination of Microsoft’s technologies with our unique strengths in oilfield technologies, production efficiency and integration will help drive growth in the Permian and serve as a model for additional implementation across the US and abroad,” Staale Gjervik, Senior Vice President, Permian Integrated Development for XTO, said. “The unconventional business is fast moving, complex and data rich, which makes it well-suited for the application of digital technologies to strengthen our operations and help deliver greater value.”
ExxonMobil’s partnership with Microsoft includes an integrated cloud environment that securely and reliably collects real-time data from oil field assets spanning hundreds of miles. The data will enable ExxonMobil to make faster and better decisions on drilling optimization, well completions and prioritization of personnel deployment. Importantly, leak detection and repair response times could be further reduced with enhanced access to emissions data, strengthening XTO’s voluntary actions to manage methane emissions.
ExxonMobil’s application of these technologies in its Permian Basin acreage, which covers a 9.5 billion BOE resource base and more than 1.6 million acres, represents industry’s largest acreage position using cloud technology.
Alysa Taylor, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Business Applications and Industry, said ExxonMobil is taking a leadership approach in its digital strategy.
“ExxonMobil is leading the way for industry, grounding their goals in making data-driven decisions that will result in safer operations for their employees and more profitable activities for the company,” Ms Taylor said. “Our cloud infrastructure and business applications will continue to support ExxonMobil as it fully realizes its strategy across the Permian.”
Microsoft’s platforms, including Azure Data Lake, will enable ExxonMobil to rapidly incorporate third-party solutions at scale across the Permian. Examples include mobile field data apps to optimize well performance, and AI algorithms for analyzing drilling and completions data to improve performance.
With the additional layer of Microsoft’s intelligent business applications, such as Dynamics 365, ExxonMobil and XTO will have a complete, end-to-end view of the Permian operations.
“Digital technology is a fundamental enabler for our Permian development,” Mr Gjervik said. “Through our partnership with Microsoft, we’re combining our technical and engineering expertise with cloud and data analytics capabilities to develop the Permian resource in the most capital-efficient manner. Collaboration with Microsoft is key to our future development efforts, which include predictive maintenance capacities, innovative tools for employees, and artificial intelligence and machine learning integration.”
