Eliis and Chevron Enter Into Seismic AI Collaboration Deal

In a release sent to Rigzone on Tuesday, Eliis SAS announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Chevron Corporation to develop and commercialize advanced Artificial-Intelligence (AI) algorithms for seismic interpretation, subsurface characterization, and modeling.

The release highlighted that Chevron has a “long history of innovating and years of experience in deploying high-performance computing and data science solutions at enterprise-scale” and that Eliis has “pioneered global methods for automated advanced seismic interpretation over the last decade”.

“By combining Chevron’s artificial-intelligence models for automated fault detection with Eliis’ global methods for advanced seismic interpretation, the time needed to perform structural interpretation, in all geological settings, can be reduced by orders of magnitude,” Eliis, which describes itself as a leading technology innovator, stated in the release.

“This technology enables large-scale geological models to be built with an unprecedented level of detail and accuracy. The partnership provides an opportunity for Chevron to integrate its artificial-intelligence technology into a market-leading geoscientific interpretation platform,” it added.

“Additionally, it allows Eliis to offer its customers a unique opportunity to benefit from both Chevron’s advances in AI and their enhanced interpretation workflows,” Eliis continued.

Francois Laferriere, Eliis’ Chief Revenue Officer, who was described as being instrumental in establishing the partnership with Chevron, said in the release, “combining cutting edge AI technology, developed and tested by Chevron, with the power of automation in PaleoScan, will offer a complete robust solution to the market for advanced seismic and geological interpretation”.

“This could potentially pave the way for a complete automated workflow from seismic to simulation”, Laferriere added.

“Solutions like this are also crucial for carbon sequestration studies, where comprehensive fault interpretation is a requirement to fully assess a potential storage site’s seal integrity and any associated risk of CO2 breaching to surface through conductive faults,” the Eliis CRO continued.

“Our combined approach ensures a level of detail and rigor that could help enable future project success,” Laferriere went on to state.

Lafferriere also noted in the release that, “in the field of geosciences, Eliis views artificial-intelligence outcomes not as ultimate end-products, but more as enabling technologies that have to be seamlessly integrated into a wider scientific workflow, that includes the ability to perform quality control and refinement, to ensure that geoscientists remain in control throughout the entire interpretive process”.

Laurent Souche, Eliis’ Product Manager, said in the release, “with this collaboration, Eliis’ customers will have a unique opportunity to utilize Chevron’s enhanced interpretation workflows, as we integrate their advanced artificial intelligence algorithms into our market-leading seismic interpretation platform”.

“This joint effort exemplifies our commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation, offering our customers unparalleled efficiency and unique insight in addressing subsurface challenges,” Souche added.

PaleoScan is described in the release as a geoscientific interpretation platform that enables faster end to end geophysical and geological interpretation workflows.

Chevron made no mention about the collaboration agreement with Eliis on its website. The California-headquartered energy company’s site outlines that digital technologies – such as robots, drones, machine learning, and artificial intelligence – are helping the company “integrate data, reduce costs, and enhance safety”.

In a statement posted on Geoteric’s website in February last year, the company’s business development geoscientist at the time, Jessica Wevill, said, “the use of artificial intelligence in seismic interpretation is a game changer for the energy sector”.

“AI adoption is gathering pace and is already demonstrating is capabilities in driving efficiencies, reducing risks, increasing profitability, and supporting organizations on their critical road to net zero,” Wevill added.

“These may sound like bold statements, but by delivering faster and more accurate analysis of seismic data, AI is revolutionary. It improves seismic inversion methods, automates the extraction of relevant information from data such as faults and horizons, provides more accurate structural analysis - all while reducing interpretation time,” Wevill continued.

“As a geoscientist myself, it’s important to stress that AI won’t be replacing people. What it will do is support us to make better-informed decisions and reduce the time required for interpretation,” Wevill went on to state.

Geoteric describes itself as a global artificial intelligence seismic interpretation expert. Back in January last year, the company announced on its site that it had launched the “world's first customer-hosted AI seismic interpretation software”.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com