SLB secures 7-year Kuwait Oil Company innovation contract
Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has awarded SLB a seven-year contract to promote technological development and digital innovation through the company's flagship Ahmadi Innovation Valley programme.
Under the terms of the agreement, SLB will collaborate with KOC on applied research, technology deployment and digital transformation projects aimed at advancing Kuwait’s long-term energy strategy and improving upstream operations.
SLB will be part of nearly 100 projects spanning AI, industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications, production optimisation, reservoir technologies, water management, and energy transition initiatives. The programme is designed to accelerate the evaluation, testing, and deployment of emerging technologies across KOC’s operations.
Advancing Kuwait's energy systems
Ahmadi Innovation Valley is KOC’s flagship innovation platform, bringing together industry, academia and technology providers to address strategic upstream challenges while strengthening research capabilities and knowledge transfer within Kuwait’s energy sector.
“Ahmadi Innovation Valley represents an important step in advancing technology leadership across Kuwait’s energy sector,” said Ahmad Jaber Al-Eidan, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Oil Company. “Through collaboration with leading technology partners, we are accelerating technology deployment, strengthening local capabilities and expanding knowledge transfer to support Kuwait’s energy industry,” Al-Eidan added.
Bringing large-scale operations online
SLB Chief Executive Officer Olivier Le Peuch said the initiative would help bridge the gap between technological innovation and large-scale operational deployment.
“The energy industry has no shortage of technology. The challenge is deploying it at scale and turning innovation into operational impact,” he said, adding that the platform “brings together technology providers, researchers and operational teams to accelerate the evaluation, deployment and scaling of new solutions across KOC’s operations.”
As part of the agreement, SLB will also establish a dedicated Ahmadi Innovation Valley facility in Kuwait.
Construction is expected to begin some time this year, with the centre scheduled to open in 2028, which will serve as a hub for research, testing, technology validation, and workforce development, supporting collaboration between local and international experts.
The project aligns with Kuwait’s broader efforts to modernise its upstream sector through digitalisation and advanced technologies while maintaining production capacity and improving operational efficiency.
