Artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally transform the way the energy industry works over the next 5–10 years. But how will it happen? The simple answer is―not alone.

As a digital leader for the sector, we form strategic partnerships and collaborations to develop performance-driven solutions for our customers. Since 2008, one of our key technology collaborators has been NVIDIA, a world leader in accelerated computing for high-performance computing (HPC), data visualization and artificial intelligence (AI).

As our industry’s digital transformation continues, we are working with NVIDIA to develop new generative AI solutions for energy. To provide more perspective on these solutions and our companies’ long-standing collaboration is SLB’s VP of Digital Technology Shashi Menon and NVIDIA’s SVP of Enterprise Business Shanker Trivedi.

What are some of the first projects SLB and NVIDIA worked on together?

Shashi: We first began working with NVIDIA to help our customers optimize energy access by improving their subsurface understanding. We did this by integrating early versions of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs) with our technology stack to accelerate HPC workflows in subsurface imaging, which requires processing terabytes of data. This paved the way for SLB to develop industry-leading subsurface imaging algorithms like reverse time migration (RTM) and full-waveform inversion (FWI), which have given our customers a key advantage in upstream exploration and development.

Shanker: SLB was one of our earliest industrial customers to utilize NVIDIA GPUs at enterprise scale. Specifically, NVIDIA GPUs provided the computing power needed to process massive amounts of data to create accurate subsurface images of complex geological environments. Over the years, our companies have worked closely together to optimize SLB’s HPC technologies on every generation of NVIDIA GPUs.

How has this collaboration evolved over the years?

Shashi: We have expanded our collaboration to encompass a wide range of applications. Beyond subsurface imaging, we have integrated NVIDIA GPUs into reservoir simulation workflows, making these powerful tools accessible across multiple generations of NVIDIA-powered computing used by our customers. We have also been early adopters of advanced data visualization technologies, such as NVIDIA RTX Virtual Workstation (vWS) and NVIDIA virtual GPU (vGPU), enabling geoscientists to analyze subsurface data in unprecedented detail.

Shanker: In recent years, our two companies have worked on developing immersive data visualization solutions to create digital twins of energy operations. These digital twins provide a physically accurate, virtual representation of real-world assets, enabling engineers to simulate various scenarios and optimize industrial operations workflows. This innovative approach is poised to transform how energy companies manage their assets and make real-time critical decisions.

Can you elaborate on some of the recent advancements in your collaboration, particularly in generative AI?

Shashi: One of the most exciting developments in our collaboration with NVIDIA is our joint work on generative AI solutions. By leveraging SLB's vast data and knowledge base, we are developing large language models (LLMs) and industry-specific foundation models that can be integrated into our existing applications to provide intelligent assistance. These AI models have the potential to streamline workflows, improve efficiency and performance, and unlock new insights from data for our customers.

Shanker: SLB is leveraging the NVIDIA NeMo™ platform to develop and train these generative AI models. NeMo provides a comprehensive platform for creating custom AI models, including LLMs, multimodal models, vision AI and speech AI. Additionally, SLB will utilize NVIDIA NIM™ inference microservices to simplify the deployment and management of these generative AI models, ensuring that they can be easily integrated into various applications widely used in the energy industry.

What are the future plans for this collaboration?

Shashi: As the energy industry continues to evolve, our companies are committed to expanding our collaboration. We plan to leverage additional NeMo microservices and create NIM inference microservices that span across SLB's global platforms, providing seamless access for customers to develop and deploy their own generative AI implementations. We also will make our generative AI foundation models available as NIM inference microservices on NVIDIA-powered infrastructure, making it easier for our companies’ customers in the energy sector to benefit from these powerful AI tools.

Shanker: We are collaborating on the release of seismic imaging and reservoir simulation platforms on the NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper™ Superchip and the NVIDIA Blackwell platform, including the NVIDIA GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchip. These platforms are designed to provide industry-leading price performance and the highest performance per watt, ensuring that SLB's customers can benefit from the latest advancements in HPC and AI.

Shashi: Our companies’ long-standing working relationship is a testament to the power of collaboration in driving innovation. By combining our collective expertise in energy technology, accelerated computing and AI, we are shaping the future of the energy industry and contributing to a more sustainable and efficient world for the benefit of all.