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ADNOC and US-based Gecko Robotics are partnering on combining machines, data, and software in an effort that could redefine how energy assets are monitored and maintained.
The agreement includes a deal to integrate Gecko’s wall-climbing inspection robots and related software into a suite of products developed by Abu Dhabi’s AI-for-energy firm AIQ that are trained on 50 years of ADNOC data. The goal: create autonomous systems that detect corrosion, predict failures, and optimize production — and then sell that technology together to other energy producers.
This “is the first time we’re giving intelligence to robots,” Saravan Penubarthi, AIQ’s chief technology officer, said in an interview. Integrating analytics directly with robots “is going to deliver a lot more value to customers” and has the potential to “transform the industry.”
AIQ’s software is already deployed into a quarter of ADNOC’s producing wells and a fifth of its reservoirs, Penubarthi told Semafor, adding that the technology helped boost output from some wells by as much as 5%. By adding the data and analytics provided by Gecko, the company expects to improve predictive maintenance, which reduces shutdown times and extends the lifespan of equipment and facilities.
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Gecko Robotics, a Pittsburgh startup valued at $1.25 billion, builds robots that scale tanks and pipelines, collecting millions of data points along the way. CEO Jake Loosararian said the “AI race is heading toward data set creators and those who can figure out how to use [information] to create a big impact” on asset performance and productivity.
“Companies that are focused on algorithms, as opposed to data sets, are clamoring for partnerships” with firms like Gecko, Loosararian told Semafor. “Most AI companies are realizing that just having the algorithms” isn’t enough to meet the needs of customers.
The partnership between ADNOC and Gecko also includes workforce training for Emirati engineers and potentially deploying robotics across the energy company’s assets.
Notable
- Gecko Robotics has been expanding its operations in the UAE and is considering acquisitions as the sector consolidates, Semafor reported in February.
- AIQ plans to sell artificial intelligence technology it developed for ADNOC’s oilfields to other resource-rich nations, Semafor’s Kelsey Warner scooped in March.