ADNOC is partnering with Houston-based SLB to deploy AI across its more than 120 onshore and offshore drilling rigs. The AI-enabled DrillOps Real-Time Operations Center uses automated dashboards and real-time insights to manage drilling operations and identify potential issues earlier. Deployed on ADNOC's sovereign cloud, the platform enables engineers to manage up to three times more rigs while cutting incident response times by up to 12 hours.
Why This Matters
ADNOC is embedding American tech innovation into every aspect of its operations — from SLB's DrillOps to Gecko Robotics' advanced robots — to drive more efficient and safer drilling. These partnerships give US firms the opportunity to scale across the largest rig fleet in the Middle East. UAE-US technology collaboration is delivering results at an industrial scale, creating durable demand for American expertise and opening new commercial pathways for US energy technology firms abroad.
Full Press Release: ADNOC and SLB Deploy AI Platform Across Over 120 Drilling Rigs to Strengthen Upstream Performance
AI-enabled Real-Time Operations Center connects the rigs and provides ADNOC’s engineers a real-time view of drilling operations Deployment enables engineers to oversee up to three times more rigs and helps to avoid up to two days of downtime Technology developed in the UAE with critical operational information securely stored in a UAE data centre to strengthen resilience
Abu Dhabi, UAE – August 04, 2026: ADNOC, in collaboration with SLB, has deployed its artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled Real-Time Operations Center (RTOC) platform across its fleet of more than 120 rigs, providing teams with a faster and more connected way to monitor, analyze and manage drilling operations across its onshore and offshore assets.
The RTOC replaces multiple tools and reduces engineering effort by 30-40%, enabling engineers to support two to three times more rigs while maintaining effective oversight. Through automated dashboards and AI-powered performance insights, RTOC turns large volumes of drilling data into clear and actionable information – reporting cycles that previously took several days can now be completed within hours. By analyzing real-time rig data, RTOC can also identify potential issues
before they escalate, helping reduce incident response times by 4-12 hours and avoid one to two days of rig downtime.
Musabbeh Al Kaabi, ADNOC Upstream CEO, said: “The Real-Time Operations Center creates value across ADNOC’s drilling operations every minute by embedding AI into the heart of our drilling operations, helping our teams make faster, smarter decisions at scale. Built securely here in the UAE, it is further proof that ADNOC is moving from AI ambition to real-world impact as we become the world’s most AI-enabled energy company.”
Enabled by SLB’s DrillOps™ intelligent well delivery and insights solutions, RTOC brings live rig data from across drilling operations into a single environment. This gives business, asset and drilling teams a real-time view of activity across the rig fleet, helping them identify risks earlier, improve coordination and make faster decisions. By combining operational data, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, tasks that previously required a full day of analysis can now be completed within minutes.
Rakesh Jaggi, President, Digital, SLB, said: “DrillOps transforms real-time drilling data into operational intelligence that helps teams make faster, more informed decisions. Deployed within ADNOC’s sovereign cloud environment, the technology provides the scalable digital foundation for AI-enabled workflows across one of the industry’s largest rig fleets and supports the continued progression toward more autonomous operations.”
Deployed on ADNOC Drilling’s rig fleet, the AI platform analyzes real-time operational data to help the operators ADNOC Onshore and ADNOC Offshore make faster decisions, improve performance and reduce operational risks across their assets. Through this deployment, ADNOC is continuing to put intelligence to work across its operations, embedding AI into core workflows and accelerating the transition toward more autonomous and optimized operations.
Developed in the UAE and hosted within ADNOC's cloud environment, RTOC keeps critical operational data and workflows securely within the country while providing a trusted foundation for AI-driven operations. By maintaining control of sensitive information under UAE jurisdiction, ADNOC is strengthening data security, operational resilience and long-term digital independence.
