Foreword by ADAM SOROKA
On behalf of Cavendish Group I am delighted to be the delivering the welcome address to the Inaugural Future Digital Twin USA conference and exhibition. it is really fantastic to see how oil and energy communities are converging on this topic and we are incredibly honoured to have such a strong line up of operators, technology innovators and associations contributing the programme during today.
May I first thank all of our key partners and sponsors for their continued value and support. We have had immense feedback from real thought leaders and 2024 has facilitated more collaboration than ever before. I would also like to extend our gratitude to the Future Digital Twin advisory board who have helped shape the theme of the agenda over the last few months and of course all of you that are in attendance today.
When I first started Future Digital Twin the sole aim was to breakdown communication siloes that were evident in the industry and create a platform for cross learning and collaboration, much like what each company is here to do with adopting this technology. We are immensely proud to produce a conference that not only offers transparency on the challenges and opportunities but also deep dives into the real value of adopting a digital twin.
The oil and gas industry is often defined by very complex and highly challenging supply chains and many of my conversations over the past 3 months has centred around the need for greater collaboration and ideas within organisations and industries. Additionally gaining best practices from other sectors will go a long way in enhancing integrative outcomes. Aviation is just one example.
AI and digital twins have the capability of making this possible with greater interconnection however we need to look at overcoming the barriers to GenAI which include limited trust, ethical and regulatory backlash and approval bottlenecks. Data driven decisions are pivotal but still sometimes face massive limitations due to a lack of foundational data systems. AI should not be there to replace major roles, but merely augment them and to automate repetitive and time consuming processes thus moving into a more intelligent automated ecosystem. I also think we are all interested to see How the industry is embedding ChatGPT into their twins and also connecting other commercially available capabilities.
Of course none of this is very relevant if we don’t prioritize the end user experience properly. Any workforce in the world will be more likely to change their way of working and embrace digital transformation if the right people are leading the drive for change and able to get their ideas into
action from the beginning of the journey. At the same time what strategies can be adopted for seasoned knowledge transfer and mitigating the risk of losing institutional knowledge. We can replace the technology but we cant replace people as easily.
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On a final note, Sustainability roadmaps will be a key tool for stakeholder management and investor relations alike so it is imperative that emission monitoring is integrated into digital twin deployment and will have major role in being able to shape the future vision for net zero policies by making everything interoperable and connected.
I want to also thank the Cavendish team for making Future Digital Twin possible, specifically Eva, Kai Dielza, Claire, Kerslay, Melanie, Jenna and Gail, who have been working tirelessly over the last few weeks with all the sponsors, partners and speakers.
I really hope you enjoy the event and conferences such as this should provide a unique opportunity for industry experts to share real experiences and real value.
I will be on hand for any feedback anyone has or any assistance. Please also take some time to network and communicate with each other especially with our excellent sponsors and partners in the fantastic exhibition area. I am sure you will all have rewarding exchanges and on behalf
of Cavendish Group I wish you all every success and look forward to learning the outcome.
Have a great conference and I am delighted to introduce to you our opening keynote speech called ExxonMobil’s Digital Reality Ecosystem – “Moving a visual way of working”
Athicha Dhanormchitphong, Digital Realities Ecosystem Architect, ExxonMobil
Kyle Daughtry, Digital Reality, 3D Visual Digital Twin & XR, Product Manager, ExxonMobil
Sincerely,
Adam Soroka CEO of Cavendish Group
Future Digital Twin & Generative AI
EXPLORING OPEN COLLABORATION, INNOVATION & ENERGY TRANSITION
The Future Digital Twin and Generative AI Conference USA, held in Houston on May 23rd 2024, brought together energy and technology professionals from 120 organisations to discuss how the energy industry can build on the significant strides already being made to incorporate digital twin tech and artificial intelligence into its operations.
The event, organised by Cavendish Group International, provided a forum for vigorous debate and an opportunity to hear fascinating perspectives from innovators and thought leaders on the future of a fast-evolving sector. High on the agenda were hot topics such as how best to smoothly incorporate large language models (LLMs) and generative AI into the industry, the need for interoperability between a growing array of diverse applications and improving data sharing within and between organisations.
The conference heard how all this must be underpinned through establishing trust – trust in the accuracy of the data being fed into AI applications, trust in the results being generated by those applications, and trust that your data is not going to be misused by others in a new era of where greater collaboration and data sharing is a necessity.
Adam Soroka, CEO of Cavendish Group International, said:
“The Future Digital Twin & GenAi Conference [IL1] highlights the value of digital twins, emphasizing greater collaboration and best practices from other sectors like aviation. AI and digital twins can enhance interconnectivity, though we must address trust, ethics, and data limitations. AI should augment roles and automate processes, improving the user experience and facilitating digital transformation”.
Digital Twins enable organisations to create digital replicas of physical assets, processes or systems, carry out predictive modelling and improve their operations. In the oil and gas industry that provides the opportunity to make operations safer, and more efficient and to decarbonise them faster. The addition of Generative AI is helping to speed up processing of the vast amount of data being produced by the industry to feed digital twins and other applications, and to provide valuable support for decision makers.
Speakers agreed the hydrocarbons sector could learn valuable lessons from other industries that are further along their ‘AI journeys’. However, a recurring theme at the event was surprise at the rapid speed with which some parts of the oil and gas industry have embraced digital twin technology
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and AI more widely, in light of the sector’s traditionally more conservative approach to operational change and data sharing.
Shane McArdle, CEO of Kongsberg Digital and Chairman of the Conference Advisory Board, told delegates the industry had moved rapidly from proof of concept to the proof-ofscale stage in terms of digital twin and AI adoption.
“Companies that invested in the foundational capabilities of digital twins or data platforms have been able to take advantage of this technology very quickly as it has scaled up. Those capabilities have allowed us, as an industry, to develop the core capabilities you need to connect something like generative AI to industrial data,” he said.
Here’s what some of the other panellists at Future Digital Twin and Generative AI Conference USA had to say:
AMIT JAIN, an advisor on Digital Twin development and deployment at Chevron , also highlighted the shift in working practices in the industry, noting that the situation prevailing five years ago where vendor applications were working in separate silos and vendors were reluctant to collaborate had been turned on its head.
“The digital transformation has helped us to break those silos. Now, when I’m speaking with partners, they’re saying: our solutions are open, we can send and receive data from everywhere. So, it has really transformed how data is treated both within and between organizations,” he said.
JASON GISLASON, Global Technology Manager at Chevron Phillips emphasized the balance to be struck between using the industry’s most valuable resource – it’s people – and AI.
“There’s a lot of really good applications for LLMs looking at very specific things, but you want to keep people in the loop, and you want to do it in such a way that that you add value to the organisation, but not put it at risk,” he said.
MICHAEL HOTALING, Operations Excellence Digital Manager, at ExxonMobil stressed the importance of interoperability, allowing data to be shared independently of the diverse range of technologies and applications deployed by the industry.
“We need separation of hardware from software, separation of software and data and separation of the AI Model from the platform,” he said. “Data needs to be in a model that can be interrogated no matter what generative AI, or NLP or LLM you are using. We’ve got to keep aligned as an industry and get to a modular plug and play approach – the additional use cases we can build on that will absolutely move exponentially.”
JUSTIN PIWETZ, Asset Management Lead, Research & Innovation in Virtual Technologies at bp told the conference how interest in generative AI had been fuelled by the need to augment human capabilities to process the petabytes of information being generated by the upstream industry for use by digital twins.
“Digital twins provide structure and gen AI allows you to search in a more abstract way than you normally would – it’s critical that the two grow together. Without that, you’re going to get to a point where the human aspect is the limiting factor with both the digital twin and the AI,” he said.
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ANDREA COURSE, Digital Innovation Program Manager, at Shell urged companies to build on a new spirit of cooperation to speed up the digital transition.
“Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate: pick good partners that will take you along the road that you need to go on. Once you have your vision, find out who can help you,” she told delegates.
Driving the Momentum in Digital Twin
registered attendees with deep industry experience
10 countries represented
Key TAKEAWAYS
Energy companies are embracing AI
The industry has moved rapidly from proof of concept to the proof-of-scale stage in terms of digital twin and AI adoption, despite the sector’s traditionally more conservative approach to operational change and data sharing.
Shane McArdle, CEO of Kongsberg Digital and Chairman of the Conference Advisory
Board told the conference: “Companies that invested in the foundational capabilities of digital twins or data platforms have been able to take advantage of this technology very quickly as it has scaled up. Those capabilities have allowed us, as an industry, to develop the core capabilities you need to connect something like generative AI to industrial data.”
Generative AI is already benefitting operations
Large language models (LLMs) and similar AI developments are helping the industry sift through petabytes of data being generated for digital twins and other uses, much of which would otherwise be untouched given the limitations of human resources. This is providing valuable insights that would otherwise be missed.
“Digital twins provide structure and gen AI allows you to search in a more abstract way than you normally would – it’s critical that the two grow together. Without that, you’re going to get to a point where the human aspect is the limiting factor with both the digital twin and the AI,” Justin Piwetz, Asset Management Lead, Research & Innovation in Virtual Technologies at bp, said.
Sharing ideas – and data – should become the norm
Collaboration both within and between organisations needs to become the default position – it can only improve the prospects for your business. Andrea Course, Digital Innovation Program Manager at Shell urged companies to build on growing cooperation within the energy industry to help speed up the digital transition.
“Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate: pick good partners that will take you along the road that you need to go on. Once you have your vision, find out who can help you,” she told delegates.
Digitalisation really is helping to break down silos
Speakers reported a shift in industry working practices, reporting a more collaborative approach to developing solutions and sharing data. Amit Jain, an advisor on Digital Twin development and deployment at Chevron, told attendees, that the situation prevailing five years ago where vendor applications were working in separate silos and vendors were reluctant to
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collaborate had been turned on its head.
“The digital transformation has helped us to break those silos. Now, when I’m speaking with partners, they’re saying: our solutions are open, we can send and receive data from everywhere. So, it has really transformed how data is treated both within and between organisations,” he said.
LLMs are making digital twins smarter and easier to use
LLMs help integrate unstructured data for use in digital twins, helping to provide better outputs. LLMs provide context for insights from digital twins, effectively making them more capable and intelligent, and improving the accuracy of predictions. LLMs can make a system behave more like a human, so a person without a technical background can interact with a digital twin using his natural language.
Interoperability is key, data sharing needs to be as frictionless as possible
Interoperability is vital for the industry. For the benefits of data sharing to be maximised, data needs to easily usable across the diverse range of technologies and applications deployed by the industry.
“We need separation of hardware from software, separation of software and data and separation of the AI Model from the
platform,” said Michael Hotaling, Operations Excellence Digital Manager, at ExxonMobil. “Data needs to be in a model that can be interrogated no matter what generative AI, or NLP, or LLM you are using. We’ve got to keep aligned as an industry and get to a modular plug and play approach – the additional use cases we can build on that will absolutely move exponentially.”
Shared data needs to be secure – blockchain can help
Blockchain has important uses in an industry where data is being fed through AI applications and increasingly being shared and passed along the supply chain. It ensures that all sorts of data from well inputs to sales information cannot be tampered with, providing encryption and data security, as well as proof of data ownership.
“In your digital twin, for example, you can
put your source data into blockchain, making it immutable data that no one can tamper with. You can then trust that data for audit, for payments, for regulatory purposes, for carbon reporting, or for anything else where you need to prove that this is what really happened,” Rebecca Hofmann, President & CEO, Blockchain for Energy, told delegates.
People remain the energy industry’s most valuable resource
AI and digital twins are not taking over: they are ultimately intended to help people make better, faster decisions. At the same time, those people are critical to overseeing the integration of AI into operations.
As Jason Gislason, Global Technology
Manager at Chevron Phillips, put it: “There’s a lot of really good applications for LLMs looking at very specific things, but you want to keep people in the loop, and you want to do it in such a way that that you add value to the organisation, but not put it at risk.”
Future Digital Twin
TESTIMONIALS
The Future of Digital Twin and GenAI event that took place in Houston last week was a remarkable gathering, featuring insightful discussions on AI integration, predictive analytics, and the future of energy tech. The event was enriched by the participation of high-caliber professionals from diverse backgrounds, all contributing to the discourse on digital transformation in the energy sector.
ANDREA COURSE
Digital Innovation Program Manager, Shell
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The Future of Digital Twin & GenAI event has been a truly well organized event, with industry experts and thought-leaders in the oil & gas industry. I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and forward-thinking vision demonstrated by the speakers and panelists, most importantly their “healthy skepticism” and honesty when dealing with new technologies with high disruption potential. I felt as if I learned something new in every session. Definitely looing forward to see what’s next in this space and building strong collaborations with other leaders.
MATTEO DARIOL
Business Development Manager, Bosch Digital Twin Industries
The event offered a rich program with its focus on specific use cases and studies exploring current challenges faced by the O&G industry was particularly beneficial to attendees. I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with and learn from customers, partners, and key domain experts. I appreciate their commitment to open collaboration and enthusiasm for leveraging the benefits of Digital twins and AI.
DR. SAID TABET
Chair, Digital Twin Consortium
Overall, the program was well organized. All Panel discussions shared various perspectives on Digital Twin and AI. Also good short presentations complementing the booth exhibition. I got a lot of networking discussions and follow-ups. Overall the quality of participants was pretty high enabling deeper technical discussions. My highlight is the blockchain topic.
KONSTANTIN OSYPOV Chief Technical Advisor, Computational Science and Engineering, Halliburton
Thank you for hosting us in Houston. We would like to commend you and the team for running a well organised event with high quality attendees. We have had many good conversations with whom we will follow-up going forward.
The Digital Twin series of events that you are running and the Energy/Oil & Gas industry is a key focus area for us and we would very much like to participate in them going forward. It will be good to understand better the activities that you may be curating in between events and also to understand how we could get more involved at the events, beyond just as exhibitors.
NADUN MUTHUKUMARANA
V2T - Vector2Transform
“The Future Digital Twin and Generative AI Conference for Oil & Gas (O&G) was a standout event, praised for its exceptional focus on Generative AI (GenAI) and digital twin technology within the energy sector. Attendees raved about its meticulous targeting, bringing together a comprehensive spectrum of stakeholders including end-users, engineering firms, and technology companies. Adam Soroka commendable organization Cavendish ensured a seamless and engaging experience, earning accolades for orchestrating such a remarkable event.
The conference provided a unique platform for industry leaders, engineers, and AI experts to explore the transformative potential of both digital twins and Generative AI in the O&G domain. Attendees were treated to a wealth of informative case studies, fostering deeper understanding and sparking innovative ideas. One of the conference’s most notable features was its exceptional blend of technical depth and businessoriented discussions. Participants were able to delve into the intricacies of digital twin technology and GenAI while also gaining valuable insights into the practical applications and business implications within the energy industry.
The Future Digital Twin and Gen AI event proved to be most informative as it not only addressed benefits of Digital Twins and Gen AI, it also dove into converging these technologies with Distributive ledger / Blockchain technology to help increase security, optimize operations for better decision making and enhance safety protocols.
REBECCA HOFMANN President / CEO, Blockchain For Energy
Moreover, the conference served as a catalyst for meaningful exchanges between participants. Attendees found ample opportunities to engage with one another, sharing their experiences, challenges, and aspirations for leveraging AI-driven solutions in O&G operations. Many expressed gratitude for the willingness of fellow attendees to openly discuss their problems, creating a collaborative atmosphere conducive to finding innovative solutions.
Overall, the Future Digital Twin and Generative AI Conference for O&G left a lasting impression on participants, equipping them with invaluable knowledge, insights, and connections to drive innovation and efficiency in the energy sector. It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the best-targeted events for GenAI, showcasing the immense potential of digital twins and AI to revolutionize O&G operations.
OMAR HALASEH Director, Digital
Transformation Consultant, Schneider Electric
I really enjoyed the event and found the discussions both on stage and around the venue insightful. We were able to share our expertise in supply chain and generative AI, connecting naturally to the advancements in digital twin technology. The high caliber of participants fostered a friendly and approachable atmosphere which I was able to reflect back to the audience through our panel discussion. We look forward to attending future events to share our learnings
STEVEN CALDER CEO , Streamba Ltd
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This was my second time joining the Digital Twin event, having first experienced its influence in Amsterdam. The team consistently raises the bar higher, making the event a hub for digital enthusiasts. All the major operators were present, providing fascinating insights into shared challenges. The venue was fantastic, and it offered a great opportunity to network across different seniority levels. Bringing together business and digital teams under one roof was incredibly valuable. If you want to get educated, network, find inspiration to the future and how to resolve your challenges, this is the event to attend.”
“You can guarantee a restaurant’s food will taste good when the owner is there making sure everything is perfect, and even sitting down for a meal. The same goes for this event — Adam is always there ensuring everything runs smoothly and is often in the front seat enjoying the discussions and presentations!
SUHAIB KAISSI
M.S Supply Chain & Logistics Technology, University of Houston
The event was time well spent with a variety of quality participants and valuable networking opportunities. A wide range of industry representation was in attendance, from large, integrated oil and gas companies to digital service providers and consultants, making for a rich assortment of perspectives.
ADAM BROWN Senior Counsel, IP Law ExxonMobil
Future Digital Twin & Gen AI was a great event that reinvigorated my enthusiasm for what is possible in digital transformation. Panelists and participants were knowledgeable and there was good variety in the program with everything from digital twins & AI to blockchain.
JUDY MOSES
Director, Resevoir Management, Americas, Chevron
Advisory Board & Speakers
ADVISORY BOARD
Martin R. Gonzalez, PhD, Innovation & Technology Principal, bp
Rolf Einar Saeter, Global Digital Twin Innovation Lead, Shell
Ashraf Wardeh, IT Director, DAC Digital Program, Oxy
Jim Schneider, Solution Manager, CTC, Surface Digital Platform, Chevron
Seth Taylor, Smart Facilities Manager, Chevron
Hari Ramani, General Manager, Digital Innovation, P & T Technology, Shell
Abdullah Al Halafi, Network and Systems Specialist, Digital Twin, Saudi Aramco
SPEAKERS INCLUDED
Athicha Dhanormchitphong, Digital Realities Ecosystem Architect, ExxonMobil
Kyle Daughtry, Digital Reality, 3D Visual Digital Twin & XR, Product Manager, ExxonMobil
Justin Piwetz, Asset Management Lead, Research & Innovation in Virtual Technologies, bp
Ashraf Wardeh, IT Director, DAC Digital Program, Oxy
Andrea Course, Digital Innovation Program Manager, Shell
Adam P.Brown, Senior Counsel, IP Law, ExxonMobil
Stacia Fosi, Principal Data Manager, Production & Projects, bp
Seth Taylor, Digital Twin Advisor & Technical Manager, Chevron
Srimoyee Bhattacharya, Team Lead, Americas Portfolio, Shell
Mustafa Kara, Principal Data Scientist, Chevron
Noorddin Taj, Digital Strategy, Innovation & Architecture, bp
Lisa Sacco, Global Ventures Manager, ExxonMobil
Reza Khaninezhad, Data Science Manager, Apache
Jie Jay Chen, AI Team Lead, Shell
Steven Calder, CEO, Streamba
Keshav Sundaresh, Global Director of Product Management,
Amit Jain, Upstream & Downstream, Engineering & Operations, Chevron
Ibrahim Al-Syed, Director, Digital Manufacturing, Celanese
Jason Gislason, Global Technology Manager, Chevron Phillips
Abdullah Al Halafi, Network and Systems Specialist, Digital Twin, Saudi Aramco
Sadik Noman, IT Program Manager, Mid Africa IT Leadership Team, Chevron
Harvinder Singh, Platform & Services Manager, Knowledge Management, bp
Raj Rapaka, Digital Transformation & Technology Advisor, ExxonMobil
Dan Isaacs, CTO, Digital Twin Consortium
Konstantin Osypov, Chief Scientific Advisor, Computational Sciences & Engineering, Energy, Halliburton
Jai Kumar Joon, Strategic Advisor, Chevron
Rob Tiffany, VP & Chief Product Officer, Red Bison Technology Group
Vishal Sabharwal, Chief Product Manager, Agile Filed Management, Halliburton
Ali Marzban, Director of Data Science & Analytics, NOV
Suba Rohrman, Global Digital Commercial Director, Weatherford
Suhaib Kaissi, M.S Supply Chain & Logistics Technology, University of Houston
Sean McCall, CTO, Oceaneering
Shirley Ike, Global Director, Digital Consulting, Wood Group
Haavard Oestensen, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer, Kongsberg Digital
Ove Heitmann Hansen, Senior Principal Consultant, DNV
Steven Calder, CEO, Streamba
Keshav Sundaresh, Global Director of Product Management, Altair
Vitor Lopes, Digital Twin Senior Product Sales Manager, Ansys
Thank You to Our Sponsors
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