Q&A with Ahmad Al-Khowaiter, CTO, Saudi Aramco

Abstract

Q&A How important is technology to Saudi Aramco’s strategy? The development and implementation of a globally competitive technology is very important to Saudi Aramco. We believe technology leadership drives continued and future success in the energy sector and is essential to achieving our aspirations to help solve global energy challenges and to stimulate the local knowledge economy. We have laid the groundwork to create a sustainable competitive advantage through the introduction of a balanced portfolio of technically feasible and commercially viable technology options. In upstream, the key research domains are reservoir engineering, computational modeling, drilling, production, geophysics, and geology. Research and development activities seek to increase incremental oil recovery from major reservoirs and increase the company’s resource base. Specific technology projects are directed toward increasing exploration probability, reducing finding costs, increasing production reliability, and enhancing cost efficiency. In downstream, by which we mean everything that takes place above the ground, the key research domains are oil and gas treatment, oil upgrading, chemicals, and network integrity. The downstream research domains are all about maximizing the value from every barrel of oil we produce, which is achieved though innovation in process improvement and production efficiencies in downstream businesses such as chemicals and refining. In addition, our strategic research domains of carbon management and fuel/ engine technology pursue the long-term sustainability of crude oil as the preferred energy source in the global marketplace. What are the new technologies being pursued? Our technology portfolio includes a number of cutting-edge innovations across a range of disciplines, including areas such as advanced materials, robotics, computational modeling, and others. For example, researchers at our upstream research center are at the forefront of leveraging micro- and nanotechnologies to develop breakthrough technologies to increase oil and gas production. Specific areas of interest include exploration, drilling, reservoir characterization, mapping and detecting various subsurface fluids, improved/enhanced oil recovery, and production.