A Digital Power Play: Shell and SLB Unite on AI

SLB and Shell expand AI across upstream ops, embedding real time intelligence into daily drilling and production decisions

12 Dec 2025

A new phase of the digital oilfield is taking shape. SLB and Shell have launched a strategic push to weave artificial intelligence into the core of Shell’s upstream operations, including key assets in the United States.

Announced in December 2025, the collaboration centers on deploying AI across drilling, reservoir management, and production workflows. At its heart is SLB’s Lumi data platform, built to gather vast streams of operational data and connect them within a single digital environment. The aim is not simply faster analytics, but real time intelligence that engineers can use as decisions unfold in the field.

For an industry that has spent years chasing digital transformation, this effort signals a more grounded approach. Oil and gas producers have invested billions in software over the past decade, yet fragmented systems often limited tangible returns. By embedding AI directly into daily operations, rather than layering it on top of legacy tools, SLB and Shell hope to turn data into a working asset instead of a passive archive.

The partnership builds on Shell’s earlier rollout of SLB’s Petrel subsurface software across multiple assets. That foundation now extends from exploration to production, offering a more continuous digital thread through the asset lifecycle. Executives from both companies stress that integration is the difference between experimentation and impact.

The move also mirrors a broader industry shift. As margins tighten and recovery targets climb, operators are turning to advanced analytics to sharpen efficiency and consistency. Digital technologies are no longer side projects; they are becoming strategic infrastructure.

Obstacles remain, from cybersecurity risks to regulatory scrutiny and the need for transparency in automated decisions. Yet momentum is building as more producers recognize that AI could influence everything from well placement to output forecasting.

The SLB and Shell alliance suggests that the next competitive edge in upstream energy may not lie beneath the surface, but within the algorithms guiding every move above it.