Industry seeks balance between competition, collaboration in a growing digital landscape

As the drilling industry adopts more digital and automated systems into their workflows, collaboration between companies has become paramount. However, the need to maintain competitive advantage remains even in a collaborative environment, said Austin Groover, Senior Director — NDS Operations at Nabors Industries. Speaking with DC from the 2026 IADC/SPE International Drilling Conference in Galveston, Texas, on 16 March, Mr Groover discussed how a commercial misalignment between stakeholders can affect collaboration. He also presented a framework for productive collaboration – one in which companies acknowledge competing products and services yet still find space for mutual gain. Mr Groover spoke at a workshop preceding the conference co-hosted by SPE’s Drilling Systems Advancement Technical Section and the IADC Advanced Rig Technology Committee.