SLB and NVIDIA Are Building AI Into the Oil Patch

SLB and NVIDIA are deploying modular AI infrastructure and agentic models to make large-scale AI standard practice in oil and gas

28 Apr 2026

SLB and NVIDIA announced on 25 March an expanded agreement to design and deploy a shared artificial intelligence infrastructure for the global energy sector, a system they have named the "AI Factory for Energy." The arrangement centres on modular data centres built offsite and installed at scale across SLB's Delfi and Lumi digital platforms.

The partnership has three stated aims: faster deployment of AI computing hardware, the development of generative and agentic AI models (software that can act on instructions without step-by-step human input) tailored to energy applications, and higher computing performance across SLB's existing platforms. SLB will act as the modular design partner for NVIDIA's AI data centre architecture.

At its core, the arrangement creates a reference environment where energy companies can run large volumes of geological, drilling, and production data through automated AI workflows to generate operational decisions in real time. The stated purpose is to move the industry from one-off AI trials toward routine, large-scale deployment.

The deal carries particular relevance for Gulf producers, who are under pressure to cut costs, extend the life of ageing fields, and accelerate digital transformation programmes. SLB operates in more than 100 countries, giving the infrastructure model an immediate international scope.

The two companies first worked together in 2008, and their relationship has expanded with each new cycle of computing hardware. The scope of this latest agreement, covering both physical infrastructure and AI model development, marks a departure from earlier, narrower technical collaborations.

How quickly operators adopt the architecture, and whether the modular model reduces deployment costs as promised, will determine whether the initiative reshapes standard practice across the sector.