How AI and Robotics Are Transforming bp’s Oil Production

Digital twin technology enables bp to simulate energy asset operations, identifying improvement opportunities and predicting failures before they occur. Credit: bp

Ricky Burns, Transformation & Technology Manager at bp, explains how digital tools help teams bring oil production online more safely and quickly.

Energy infrastructure creates immense value, yet traditional extraction methods leave significant volumes untapped. Saudi Aramco’s Ghawar Field illustrates the massive scale of upstream assets, producing nearly four million barrels of oil daily.

However, operational inefficiencies remain common across the sector. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that conventional recovery techniques extract only about 30% of reservoir reserves, leaving 70% stranded underground.

For large-scale producers, applying incremental technological improvements across entire fields unlocks substantial production gains. British supermajor bp demonstrates this strategy, reporting a 2% annual production increase over the past five years driven by digital integration.

This growth yields approximately 20,000 additional barrels of oil equivalent per day. Additionally, the company attributes its automated and intelligent systems to preventing an average of 4% of total production from going offline.

By leveraging AI, advanced analytics, and autonomous systems, bp extracts greater value from its natural reserves and physical assets. Subsurface mapping through seismic imaging is one of the most effective applications of these technologies.

The Ghawar Field is the world's largest oil field. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Seismic imaging and digital models accelerate development

Recent computational advances allow operators like bp to implement 4D seismic imaging. This method provides engineering teams with an AI-enhanced view of reservoir movements over extended periods.

The company also uses virtual rock modeling, creating digital representations of rocks from physical core scans. Subsurface specialists use these computer models to run AI-assisted fluid simulations within days, replacing physical testing that historically took months.

Ricky Burns, Transformation & Technology Manager at bp, highlights how these predictive models speed up project delivery.

“When we have higher confidence in what’s under the ground, we can work to bring production online safer and more quickly,” he explains.

Real-time monitoring ensures operational efficiency

Maintaining seamless operations becomes the priority once extraction begins. To optimize daily activities, bp runs Optimization Genie, an AI-driven platform that continuously analyzes real-time field data.

The software translates complex field metrics into actionable recommendations for engineers, suggesting precise adjustments for valve settings and flow rates.

Intelligent automation also streamlines well restarts after system maintenance or unexpected shutdowns.

The company states: “bp’s Well Startup Tool models scenarios and suggests options to enhance safety and promote faster turnaround for bringing wells back online, helping us reduce idle production time and reach peak output sooner.”

Offshore infrastructure relies on similar real-time data feeds. In the Gulf of America, fiber optic cables spanning the full length of wellbores transmit live fluid tracking data back to engineering hubs.

Jean-Charles Dumenil, who leads production technology delivery at bp, emphasizes that high-quality data directly improves operational decision-making.

“Better insights lead to better judgment and the potential to produce more barrels,” Jean-Charles says.

The company's technologies enable staff to identify potential issues earlier than before. Credit: bp

Robotic inspection and digital twins minimize downtime

Unplanned equipment breakdowns on offshore platforms cause costly chain-reaction delays across entire assets. Specialist monitoring teams constantly analyze operational metrics like pressure and fluid velocity to detect failures before they occur.

Autonomous machinery increasingly handles this frontline surveillance. In the Gulf of America, compact shoebox-sized inspection robots explore underwater platform structures, eliminating the need to send human divers into hazardous environments.

This automated inspection initiative is projected to save millions of dollars from maintenance budgets over a four-year period. Overseas in Azerbaijan, bp deploys task-based robotics alongside aerial drones, supported by a complete digital twin of its nine Caspian Sea platforms.

Engineers use this virtual platform model to run diagnostic simulations and execute maintenance planning remotely. Following success offshore, the organization is evaluating plans to expand digital twin modeling to its onshore Sangachal Terminal.

Marianna Kerimova, Transformation & Technology Manager at bp. Credit: bp

Marianna Kerimova, Transformation & Technology Manager at bp, identifies safety and operational clarity as the key measures of success for these tools.

“It delivers its greatest value when it keeps people safe, removes complexity and helps teams make better decisions,” Marianna explains.

These individual technological implementations yield cumulative performance gains across global sites. Herlinde Mannaerts-Drew, SVP Upstream Research & Development at bp, notes that sustained investment in digital transformation is generating clear returns.

“Years of focused technology integration is now paying off, helping to lift production and set new performance records in parts of the business,” Herlinde says.