A billion-dollar offshore industry moving at record speed is giving Guyana a role beyond oil production. The country’s deepwater developments are becoming a proving ground for technologies designed to accelerate resource discovery, enable remote operations, and improve recovery from some of the world’s newest discovered oil fields.
With Stabroek Block production now above 900,000 barrels per day (b/d) and additional projects expected to push output beyond one million b/d, ExxonMobil Guyana and its co-venturers are deploying advanced digital systems across exploration, drilling, production, and offshore support activities.
Artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, reinforcement learning, and high-performance computing now form part of the exploration program. In May, ExxonMobil’s Vice President of Exploration, John Ardill, said datasets that once took months to interpret can now be processed in days, allowing geoscientists to evaluate potential hydrocarbon-bearing structures more quickly.
The company has also developed an AI model using offshore seismic data that successfully identified known oil deposits when tested against Guyana datasets. Supporting these efforts is the Discovery 6 supercomputer, which processes large volumes of subsurface information to improve reservoir imaging and modelling, helping identify opportunities to increase recovery and optimize field development.
Digital technology is also changing how production facilities are managed. Floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels are connected to onshore control rooms through fibre-optic communication systems, allowing technical teams to monitor performance and respond to issues without relying solely on offshore personnel.
Company President Alistair Routledge said these systems have improved the company’s understanding of producing reservoirs. By comparing seismic images captured at different stages of production, engineers can track the movement of oil, gas, and water through reservoir rocks, helping guide gas and water injection strategies to maximize recovery.
Drilling has also become more precise through a closed-loop well placement system that links geological models with drilling equipment, allowing real-time adjustments during operations. The technology, placed approximately 470 meters of lateral well section within the reservoir, reduced tripping time by about 33%, and completed the reservoir section roughly 15% faster than planned.
The use of advanced digital tools extends beyond the offshore fields. Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI) has introduced AI-powered surveillance systems to improve safety by monitoring personal protective equipment compliance, identifying unsafe behaviour, and analysing operational trends. The company, which supports Guyana’s offshore oil and gas industry through shore base and logistics services, said the AI-generated data is helping identify recurring risks and strengthen preventive safety measures.
ExxonMobil operates Guyana’s Stabroek Block with a 45% stake, with co-venturers Hess, owned by Chevron (30%), and CNOOC (25%). The oil major has discovered an estimated 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels there.
