Petrobras, Brazil’s state-controlled oil and gas company, has added another supercomputer to its exploration and production operations. The company invested BRL 36 million (USD 6.8 million) in a high-performance computer specifically designed to run artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
The company named the computer Tatu (Portuguese for armadillo) because it will “dig up” data to be more precise in responding to demands, “increasing exploration success and reducing costs in exploration and production activities.”
“The focus of Tatu is a mix of applied research and production. Applied research is aimed at solving specific geoscientific problems through the use of AI algorithms. Once a particular research result shows a satisfactory outcome, a project is defined to scale the original algorithm into a solution that geoscientists can effectively use,” explains Fernando Borges, head of exploration and production at Petrobras.
The supercomputer has started its assisted operation and will reach full production by the end of the month. In 2022, Petrobras launched the fifth-largest supercomputer in the global oil industry. For the fourth consecutive year, the company was ranked first in Latin America for high-performance computing and eco-efficiency.
AI in the oil and gas market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10.81 percent by 2027, according to consulting firm Mordor Intelligence. Besides “simplifying access to the complex data required for oil and gas exploration and production,” AI can be used to “track toxicity levels and leaks and warn users of issues that must be fixed.”
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