Kuwait’s Oil Minister Tareq Al-Roumi has opened a new AI Innovation Center under Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) at its Ahmadi headquarters, in partnership with Microsoft.
The AI Innovation Center is one of the initial initiatives launched under the strategic partnership between Kuwait and Microsoft. It aims to connect oil field production with AI technologies.
Announced in March this year, the partnership also includes plans to establish a Microsoft Azure Region in Kuwait. As part of this collaboration, the U.S. tech giant will set up a Technology Innovation Hub, which will feature both the AI Innovation Center and a Cloud Center of Excellence.
The AI Innovation Center is expected to play an integral role in advancing operational efficiency while lowering costs across Kuwait’s oil sector, especially as the country plans to increase production capacity to four million barrels per day by 2035.
Speaking at the launch event in Ahmadi, Al-Roumi described the AI Innovation Center as part of the Petroleum Corporation’s strategy for digital transformation in energy. He added that with the use of AI, the initiative aims to increase productivity, improve operational performance, and reduce costs.
During the launch event of the AI Innovation Center, a live demonstration showcased an AI-driven drilling platform scheduling project, a breakthrough in real-time operational data management and predictive analytics aligned with Kuwait Vision 2035. This initiative enables KOC to leverage advanced analytics and AI for a flexible, integrated decision-making system that seamlessly connects operations, projects, and data.
Sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, highlighted the center’s practical impact. He noted that the Innovation Center will reduce the number of days needed to drill a single well and increase the efficiency of drilling operations. He further stressed the indispensable role of human expertise alongside AI.
The AI Innovation Center launch ceremony was attended by senior officials including Minister of State for Communications Omar Al-Omar and the Director-General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority Sheikh Dr Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
KOC CEO Ahmed Al-Eidan called the AI Innovation Center a new strategic milestone in the company’s journey and a practical embodiment of Kuwait’s vision for digital transformation and innovation in the energy sector. He pointed to the company’s early investments in cutting-edge technologies, especially through the strategic partnership with Microsoft.
