Oman Bets on an AI Twin to Boost Its Oil Fields

PDO and Kongsberg launch an AI driven digital twin to sharpen output, safety and costs across Omani assets

7 Dec 2025

Oman has become an unexpected proving ground for the next wave of digital thinking in Middle East energy. Petroleum Development Oman has struck a strategic deal with Kongsberg Digital to deploy an AI powered digital twin across its fields and processing hubs. The move marks a shift from small pilot projects to full scale systems that influence daily operations and long term plans.

PDO will use Kongsberg’s industrial software as the backbone for a virtual replica of its subsurface, wells and surface facilities. The platform blends real time operational data with enterprise information and physics based models. Engineers can test scenarios in minutes, spot bottlenecks faster and decide which interventions deliver the greatest impact.

For a company responsible for much of the country’s oil and gas output, the portfolio implications are large. Digital models help planners weigh the value of infill wells, recompletions and plant debottlenecking. They also clarify how shifts in drilling schedules or maintenance cycles ripple through recovery, emissions and cost profiles over the life of a field. Executives see the project as central to sustaining a competitive cost base while extending the performance of aging assets.

The partnership arrives as regional producers push advanced analytics further into day to day work. Kongsberg already partners with several Middle Eastern operators, but the Oman rollout is one of its most comprehensive deployments. The plan is to introduce twins across PDO sites on a common platform so insights from one asset can be quickly reused on others. Even a single percentage point gain in uptime or recovery can translate into major value in this market.

Safety and emissions goals sit at the core of the effort. With a live view of equipment condition, operating limits and energy use, the system aims to support predictive maintenance and reduce unplanned outages. It can also flag flaring risks, inefficient modes and spots where power demand can be trimmed. For a producer that pitches stability and lower costs to investors, improved reliability paired with lower emissions intensity is a strong signal.

Other national oil companies are tracking the results. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are rolling out digital programs of their own, but Oman’s enterprise wide approach offers a rare example of software woven directly into everyday field management.

For now, PDO’s project shows how quickly digital ideas are turning into operational tools. By pairing long lived assets with flexible AI, Oman is betting that smarter data use can uncover reserves, stretch field life and keep margins healthy in a tougher global market.