How AI Will Supercharge the OSDU

For energy industry leaders, data is almost as valuable as energy resources. When it comes to data-driven innovation, one of the industry's bright spots is the OSDU Data Platform.

The OSDU Data Platform is an industry initiative to establish an open-source, standards-based, and technology-agnostic centralized cloud data platform. By providing a standardized platform for data storage and sharing, OSDU encourages the creation of a diverse ecosystem of applications and tools that can seamlessly integrate with the platform. The ecosystem around OSDU fosters collaborative innovation and development within the energy industry. This ecosystem enables industry stakeholders to leverage innovative solutions and services, driving efficiency and value creation across the value chain.

OSDU, already a rich and diverse ecosystem, is on the brink of a profound AI-driven transformation. This transformation promises to unlock even more value for industry players, sparking excitement about the future possibilities that can be leveraged through its many capabilities. 

Integrating OSDU with AI

Valuable data related to subsurface properties and reservoir behavior is often trapped within incompatible proprietary formats, leading to inefficiencies and hindering the industry's evolution. The energy industry is eager to adopt AI/ML and GenAI. Still, the absence of centralized, standardized, high-quality datasets — essential inputs for driving AI/GenAI models and generating outputs — poses a significant challenge. This obstacle can be overcome by embracing the OSDU Data Platform.

By integrating AI with the OSDU platform, organizations can develop AI models trained on diverse subsurface data types, such as seismic data, well logs, and geological samples. These AI models can assist in identifying patterns, predicting reservoir behavior, and optimizing exploration and production strategies, instilling a sense of optimism about the potential improvements in the energy industry.

AI can also enhance the accuracy of subsurface characterization by recognizing complex patterns and relationships within the data, leading to more informed decision-making in the energy industry. Some of the most significant outcomes of bringing the power of AI to the OSDU will be:

• Enhancing Workflows and Collaboration. The OSDU Data Platform facilitates seamless integration and management of diverse datasets, enhancing workflows and collaboration. Accurate metadata extraction from various data types improves searchability and indexing while automating processes through ML-trained models streamlines operations.
• Achieving Direct Infrastructure Cost Savings. The platform enables significant cost savings by optimizing data storage and eliminating duplication. Efficient data management allows for reduced infrastructure costs and improved resource utilization, such as tiered storage and automatic shutdown of unused services during non-active periods.
• Creating New Operational Workflows and Closed Loops. The OSDU Data Platform eliminates redundancies in mapping and modeling processes, enabling quick responses to market signals. Automation through ML-trained models can lead to significant time reductions, enhancing operational agility and responsiveness.

Specific precautions must be considered when integrating AI/ML and GenAI within the OSDU framework for subsurface characterization and modeling. Energy companies need to ensure accurate and validated data for model training and data security and privacy within OSDU. They will need to address the skill gap in developing and maintaining customized AI/ML models and ensure compliance with regulatory and legal requirements specific to the energy industry.

Wipro’s Energy Data Centricity services play a crucial role in helping organizations navigate the challenges associated with OSDU integration. EDC paves the way for enhanced operational efficiency, informed decision-making, and innovation in the energy industry. By providing a structured approach to data management and leveraging advanced technologies, Wipro's Energy Data Centricity ensures that organizations can maximize the benefits of OSDU while maintaining data security and regulatory compliance.

Customizing AI/ML Models for Energy Industry Innovation

To fully leverage the OSDU Data Platform’s potential, customization of AI/ML models — particularly domain-specific models — is crucial. This emphasis on customization reassures the audience about the adaptability of the OSDU platform, addressing non-standard language mapping issues and unlocking the technology’s full potential.

If those challenges can be met, adopting AI/ML and GenAI in the OSDU context offers cycle time reduction, operational efficiencies, and faster and better-informed decisions.

For some industry players, OSDU’s “garage innovation” sensibility may present an uncomfortable paradigm shift. This term refers to the platform's promotion of a culture of experimentation and rapid prototyping, which brings a startup mentality deep into legacy functions that might not be entirely comfortable with rapid iteration. However, this mentality also encourages the exploration of novel ideas and technologies, allowing organizations to test and refine innovative solutions within the OSDU Data Platform. By embracing the OSDU as a playground for open-ended innovation and accelerating that innovation with AI, the energy industry will find numerous ways to make exploration and production more efficient and effective.

About the Authors

Kumar Nagaraju
Global Head – Energy & Data Platforms, Wipro Consulting

Kumar has over 20 years of IT consulting and progressive leadership experience, working with some of the largest oil & gas operators and service companies on digital transformation initiatives. He brings a unique blend of techno-functional capabilities, coupled with vast practical experience leading application, technology, data, and infrastructure teams. He excels in developing strategy, implementing solutions, and providing IT operational services. Kumar is dedicated to transforming IT services by leveraging emerging technologies such as OSDU, cloud, and AI.

Dr. Lakshmikantha Rao Hosur
Senior Partner – Energy, Resources, and Decarbonization

Lakshmikantha (Kantha) has over 20 years of consulting experience related to energy and the energy transition across Europe and North America. He has worked with clients and assets globally. Drawing on his deep knowledge of the energy value chain, Kantha is a strategist with a proven track record for delivering technology solutions — from ideation to go-to-market — and achieving delivery targets through consulting and portfolio management. Kantha holds a master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering and a PhD in Soil and Rock Mechanics. He has previously worked with Repsol and Schlumberger (SLB) and is based in Amsterdam.