Digital Oil And Gas

Unconventional oil and gas is massive. Every year, over $100 billion is poured into steel, sand, and water just in Canada and the US. Yet, most of the planning behind these extraordinary investments still runs on Excel spreadsheets. Spreadsheets were fine in the 90s, but today they struggle to handle the complex interdependencies and real-world constraints of modern tight plays. The hidden cost to the industry is huge. Expensive inefficiencies, wasted capital, and missed opportunities to improve well design and execution. Other industries abandoned spreadsheets long ago when margins got thin, but oil and gas clings to them, and keeps burning the billions. My guest in this episode is Sean Hervo, a former Shell upstream engineer, who saw firsthand how spreadsheets literally strangle unconventional well planning. He co-founded PrePad, an innovative digital solution, that replaces bulkly and clunky spreadsheets with digital simulation and optimization tools, giving operators the ability to make faster, smarter, m

Oil and gas operations rely on heavy machinery and equipment that perform critical tasks, yet most of this equipment remains disconnected from the digital landscape of cloud computing, analytics, and autonomy. This lack of connectivity leaves operators with higher costs, inefficient maintenance, and limited visibility into how their assets are really performing. The traditional approach to equipment design is no longer enough. Operators face pressure to improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and cut costs, but without better data and smarter tools, these goals remain out of reach. The industry cannot afford to keep treating its infrastructure as “dumb metal.” You might think that only big equipment suppliers can make smart metal, but IJACK, a Canadian equipment manufacturer, is proving otherwise. By embedding remote monitoring, cloud connectivity, and AI-driven analytics into its products, the company enables operators to troubleshoot issues without rolling a truck, optimize performance across entire fleets, a

Scheduling in oil and gas has long been a weak link. Wells, rigs, frack crews, contractors, and regulators must all line up in precise sequence, but too often the “system” is stitched together with Excel spreadsheets, siloed tools, and a lot of human memory. The result is inefficiencies, costly delays, and endless arguments in daily meetings. That model is no longer good enough. The complexity of modern operations, coupled with volatile markets and new constraints (from labor shortages to tariffs to water management) is making traditional scheduling tools obsolete. Operators that rely on outdated approaches risk losing millions in wasted time and missed opportunities. Spying this problem years ago, Actenum, an AI-enabled scheduling platform that treats scheduling not as a collection of dates, but as a living model of operations, set out to correct this problem. The tool captures constraints, integrates with systems of record, forecasts production, and enables scenario planning, in real time. Companies report

The oil and gas industry generates extraordinary amounts of data from millions of sensors, yet only a tiny fraction, at most  8%, is actually used to inform decisions on complex and valuable assets. Decades of building analytics and machine learning solutions have helped, but they’ve also left companies with a patchwork of siloed systems and “industrial gridlock.” The arrival of foundation models in late 2022 introduced the possibility of moving beyond one-off solutions. But generic internet-trained models are not suitable for high-risk industrial environments, where accuracy, context, and explainability are essential. The sector needs something different. Applied Computing is tackling this challenge head-on by creating a foundation model designed specifically for energy. Built to handle time-series data, diagrams, operator logs, and unstructured engineering information, their model emphasizes contextual understanding, explainability, and zero hallucinations. My guest this week, Dan Jeavons, is President of A

Water is the unsung workhorse of the oil and gas industry. It's instrumental for generating steam, driving b, lubricating drill bits, flooding reservoirs, and separating oil from oil sands. Historically it’s been cheap, plentiful, and overlooked. As climate pressures mount and scarcity becomes real, water is now emerging as one of the industry’s most critical resources. Water isn’t just another utility, like power. It's a highly interconnected system. A quick fix in one unit can cause downstream failures, regulatory breaches, or environmental harm. Unlike power, water can be reused. Companies are now wise to the fact that traditional, siloed approaches to water management no longer work. One solution lies in building holistic, site-wide digital twins of water systems. These models bring together flows, chemistry, capacity, compliance, and infrastructure data into one view, enabling operators to troubleshoot more effectively, run “what if” scenarios, and align operations with ESG commitments. In this episode,

The industrial sector faces a growing challenge: how to train a rapidly evolving, inexperienced workforce to safely and effectively operate aging and complex infrastructure. Traditional training tools like PowerPoint presentations and passive classroom learning no longer cut it, especially in high-risk environments like oil refineries and offshore rigs. Enter immersive training platforms—tools that provide guided, interactive learning experiences in virtual environments. These platforms bridge the comprehension gap by enabling engineers to interact with equipment and scenarios in a simulated setting before ever stepping on site. The benefits are substantial: improved cognition, faster onboarding, safer operations, and better cross-functional awareness. In this episode, I speak with Matt Trubow, Commercial Director of Hidden Creative, where we discuss how their browser-based immersive platform “Simmerse” is transforming how engineering-heavy industries onboard and train personnel. From AI-driven hazard detecti

In energy and manufacturing, vast volumes of unstructured data (think OEM manuals, maintenance logs, shift notes, correspondence, procedures), sit largely untapped. For decades, experienced technicians have compensated by carrying critical knowledge in their heads. But with retirements accelerating and fewer seasoned workers on the front line, this model is breaking down.  New large language learning models that underpin technologies such as Grok and ChatGPT are being trained on this unstructured content to create context-relevant, queryable databases for industry. This technology, referred to as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), could help unlock hidden knowledge across sprawling document sets. Early attempts at RAG have certainly improved search, a task that consumes hours of scarce engineering time. However, companies quickly learned that speed and accuracy fall apart at scale, context matters, and lack of trust in the output leaves users frustrated and skeptical.  The real opportunity lies in pairing

Why is a pug named Phoebe likely more qualified than your frontline crew?  In the oil and gas industry, online training and certification have become the norm. Let's agree it's convenient, cost-effective, and scalable. But what if the people taking that training are subverting the training using AI, or aren’t people at all? Digital tools, especially generative AI, are now being misused to automate training completion, which undermines the entire compliance system. The same platforms designed to protect workers, assure reliability, comply with regulations, and safeguard the environment may be certifying untrained staff, putting lives at risk and exposing companies to severe legal and financial consequences. In this episode, Rob Day joins me on the podcast to discuss this hidden crisis. Rob is Managing Director at Cognisense, and a dedicated expert in risk mitigation. From court cases involving industrial explosions to training a pug to complete OSHA 10, Rob shares shocking and true stories from the frontlines

The oil and gas industry has invested heavily in new digital technologies, but too many efforts fall short in value delivery. However compelling digital initiatives may seem, they will assuredly flounder if workers are unable or unwilling to adopt them.  The challenge lies in the way asset centric organizations tend to approach change. Leaders often seek rapid results that will contribute to current earnings, while frontline teams struggle with clunky processes and data silos ill-suited for AI, analytics, robotics, connected workers, and many other innovations. Rolling out new tools at scale without winning hearts and minds often leads to resistance, “pilot project hell,” and failed implementations.  So how can energy companies unlock real value from digital transformation? What are the overlooked success factors that determine whether AI and digital deployments thrive or falter? In this episode, I’m joined by David Moore, a digital advisor and AI delivery lead, who reflects on the five critical lessons he

The energy industry is having a moment. As assets become digitized, operations increasingly automated, molecules displaced for electrons, and capital more discerning, the biggest challenge is now people, instead of engineering. Specifically, where will the next generation of digitally fluent energy professionals come from?   At the same time, academic institutions, whose mission is to deliver qualified talent, are under grave financial pressure. International student revenue is collapsing, and many programs are out of step with the real-world digital needs of industry. Meanwhile, the workforce is retiring, and young professionals are turning away from careers in oil and gas.   In this episode, Doug Cronk, an investment committee advisor, and former Academic Chair of Financial Services and Fintech at SAIT, sets out how the energy sector can seize this moment. By repackaging existing academic offerings, combining them with data analytics, AI, and energy domain knowledge, and co-creating programs that reflect th

Heavy industry runs on complex systems and distributed assets, but frontline workers are often still armed with paper manuals and radios. It works, but yields an unacceptably high level of inconsistencies, safety incidents, and productivity bottlenecks. And as experienced workers retire, critical knowledge about systems, assets, and good practice disappears. The shift to digital work execution is now both viable and urgent. Smartphones are everywhere. AI is mainstream. And yet many organizations still struggle to digitize even basic workflows. In this episode, Liam Scanlan, co-founder and managing director of HINDSITE, reveals how his technology is addressing this challenge head-on. HINDSITE equips frontline workers with just-in-time digital instructions, visual training, and live process documentation. Companies that leverage this technology report fewer errors, faster onboarding, improved safety, and lower costs. Whether it’s inline inspections, sensor maintenance, or tire bay procedures, HINDSITE brings co

The traditional model of hydrocarbon exploration has transitioned in much of North America, replaced by exploitation of known shale and tight resources. For shale players, exploration is seen as more risky, expensive, and slow than pursuing resource play.  Classic geochemical methods, reliant on sample collection and lab analysis, can’t keep up with the need for real-time decision-making. Helium—a light, inert, and upwardly mobile gas—offers potential as an indicator of subsurface resources, but its volatile nature makes it difficult to measure accurately and reliably using conventional approaches. Helium, when measured digitally and interpreted with AI, can provide a new high quality and reliable signal for the presence of valuable subsurface resources, reducing costs, time, and risk. In this episode, Denis Krysanov, founder of Heologic, explains how helium-based digital exploration can help identify oil, gas, lithium, geothermal energy, and even natural hydrogen deposits. By capturing helium anomalies in re

In the world of oil and gas operations, edge devices are  mission-critical. These compact, intelligent sensors operate in  the most extreme of environments, such as remote drill sites, deep wells, and hostile landscapes, where they continuously collect operational data. Best in class operators don't just throw digital at the field. They prioritize efficiency, reliability, and integrity at the edge, where human oversight is limited, infrequent, and mostly absent. But the drive to digitize oilfield infrastructure raises major challenges: reliable power, cyber threats, temperature extremes, and real-time decision-making without cloud access. David Smith, VP of Innovation at Black Pearl Technology, shares how his team builds micro-powered, field-tough sensors that handle pre-processing on-site, sip power in microamps, and run mission-critical code on the edge to avoid failures. MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) is enabling a new era of industrial sensing, complete with cyber-safe hardware that controls ever

The global upstream oil and gas sector is confronting a mounting crisis—access to capital. For over a decade, international producers, especially small- and mid-cap firms, have faced shrinking pools of funding as banks exit the space and public equity markets falter. Traditional sources of capital have dwindled, leaving many promising ventures stranded without the financial fuel they need to grow. As capital constraints tighten, the sector’s self-depleting business model—where every produced barrel reduces tomorrow’s inventory—becomes unsustainable. The result? A looming risk of supply shortfalls, price shocks, and widening energy inequity, especially in underdeveloped economies. With traditional financing off the table, how can energy producers bridge this capital chasm? In this episode, I sit down with Richard Naden, a seasoned executive and co-founder of Atlas Energy, to explore a breakthrough model inspired by royalty and streaming structures from mining and North American energy. Richard shares how Atlas

In the upstream oil and gas sector, frontline operations have long depended on manual methods for information management, such as clipboards, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools. These outdated processes persist despite mounting pressure to improve efficiency and cut costs. But with today’s margin compression, regulatory scrutiny, and demographic changes, that operational model is no longer sustainable. Field operators are expected to do more with less, but lack integrated, user-friendly tools that align with their daily work activities. In this episode, I chat with Philip Richard, CEO of Porosity, about how his company is tackling these very challenges. Leveraging his personal background in production engineering and startup leadership, Philip explains how Porosity is building software designed for the field, not just the back office. Key moves such as streamlining leak detection, maintenance, and safety workflows through a single, mobile-first platform really help the field directly address its challenges.

Mid-sized oil and gas companies are now at a digital crossroads. While supermajors have pushed forward with large-scale transformation programs, many mid-market firms are only beginning to explore how digital innovation can improve performance. Their operational processes—budgeting, forecasting, asset planning—tend to mirror those of larger firms but constrained by fewer resources and less internal capability. Unfortunately, mid-sized companies cannot simply copy the big-company playbook. They lack dedicated data teams, struggle with legacy systems, and must handle all the integration hassles with bespoke coding. At the same time, they are under the same pressure to lower costs, improve transparency, and make faster, better decisions. Is a pragmatic and impactful digital transformation even possible in this context? Absolutely. In this episode, I speak with Lewis Gillhespy, Executive Advisor at Rockflow, on practical solutions that work with mid-sized firms. By focusing on core business processes—particula

The oil and gas industry is sitting on a ticking environmental and financial liability. Around the world, millions of wells have been drilled to date, many more will be drilled, and all will eventually need to be plugged and abandoned. Today, the US alone has thousands of orphaned and marginal wells, many leaking methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide. With underfunded asset retirement obligations and inconsistent plugging practices of the past, the sector faces mounting pressure to act—but struggles to finance solutions at scale. There is a potential solution: the voluntary carbon credit market. In this episode, I interview David Stewart, President of Engineering and Environment at Sendero Services, who explains how new carbon methodologies are turning methane leaks into monetizable credits. By quantifying emissions avoided through proper plugging, validating permanence with reserves analysis, and using blockchain for traceability, these credits offer a science-based, verifiable

The oil market is once again bracing for change, with OPEC signaling their interest in unlocking supply that has been withheld. For producers, this looming oversupply translates into a fresh imperative: cut costs. The oil and gas sector, long accustomed to volatility, must now sharpen its cost control strategies in the face of intensifying pressure on margins.  Matthew Hatami, a professional engineer, entrepreneur, and author, joins me on this episode to discuss the tools and tactics operators can use to improve free cash flow. With experience spanning Halliburton, Hess, Chesapeake, and private equity ventures, Matthew shares how data and digital technologies can identify, prevent, and mitigate costly inefficiencies—without big budgets or sweeping tech overhauls. Drawing from his new book, Shale Oil and Gas Operations: Maximize Cashflow with Cost Reduction, Matthew shares three practical, high-impact digital strategies: build operational algorithms to flag issues before they arise, embed probability-based dec

For decades, hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—has relied heavily on water and sand to crack underground rock and release oil and gas. Fracking is safe, proven, and reliable, and in collaboration with horizontal drilling, has resulted in the huge growth in hydro carbon production in the US and Canada.    But fresh water is a scarce resource particularly in arid settings, and in many places under stress because of climate change. Disposal of used water is a technical challenge and costly. The sand resource, or proppant, is both costly to mine and heavy to ship. The mechanical process of forcing water and sand under pressure down the wells and into the rock generates a substantial carbon footprint.    Enter RocketFrac, a Calgary-based innovator using solid rocket fuel to crack the status quo.   Unlike conventional fracking, RocketFrac’s technology eliminates the need for water and sand, which dramatically lowers carbon emissions and site disturbance. This self-propping, solid-fuel-based technique also opens up e

Despite covering over 70% of our planet, the oceans and seas remain largely unmapped and poorly understood. Collecting useable data about the oceans is hard and expensive--reliant on specialized costly vessels, old-school technologies, and plenty of labour. The comparison to land mapping technologies (like Google Earth) is stark--we have near-total visibility of land-based infrastructure, continuously updated, and collected by satellite. Subsea infrastructure, like pipelines and cables, are managed with minimal, outdated, and isolated datasets. This gap in oceanic intelligence is an increasing problem.  We're constantly adding new subsea infrastructure—cables, pipelines, risers, platforms—to support oil and gas, power, telecoms, mining, and military operations. At the same time, owners and operators are sailing blind, relying on static years-old surveys. And sea floors are pretty dynamic, subject to tides, currents, and human activity. You can really appreciate the mounting financial and operational risks—fro