ExxonMobil’s oil & gas exploration gets uplift with ‘cutting-edge’ 4D seismic tech and supercomputer

U.S.-headquartered energy giant ExxonMobil is feeling buoyed by the possibility of cutting seismic processing time from months to weeks with 4D seismic technology, in combination with high-performance computing (HPC), which will bolster the firm’s subsurface capabilities.

ExxonMobil has set its cap on deploying what it sees as “cutting-edge” 4D seismic technology and high-performance computing to demonstrate its commitment to technology development and cement its spot among the leading players in subsurface capabilities.

The firm elaborated: “Nearly 50 years ago ExxonMobil revolutionized oil and gas exploration with 3D seismic imaging, sending seismic sound waves deep into the Earth’s subsurface and recording the echoes that bounce back to create detailed maps of underground formations.

“Researchers use supercomputers, which are purpose-built to handle complex data, to turn sound wave data into detailed 3D images of the Earth’s geological formations. This breakthrough became the industry standard, revealing oil and gas deposits with unprecedented accuracy.”

According to the U.S. giant, its Discovery 6 supercomputer is the result of a strong collaboration, built by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and accelerated by NVIDIA, to deliver up to four times faster performance compared to its previous supercomputer, Discovery 5.

ExxonMobil added: “Thanks to groundbreaking innovations in seismic imaging, we have transformed exploration into a much more precise science and the energy industry can make better risk-based decisions on when and where to safely and efficiently extract oil and gas.

“Much of the success is because of advancements in supercomputing that enabled the move beyond 2D into 3D. Now, we’re leading industry innovation in the use of 4D. Today, we’re excited to share we continue to improve oil development and production through investment in technology with the introduction of Discovery 6, ExxonMobil’s latest HPC system.”

The combination of 4D seismic and a supercomputer is expected to reduce 4D seismic processing time from months to weeks. The Discovery 6 supercomputer combined with ExxonMobil’s elastic full wavefield inversion (eFWI) technology is anticipated to allow the firm to increase resource recovery with less capital.

Based on the American energy giant’s data, the eFWI technology rapidly creates images that reveal information about rock and fluid properties and insights into where hydrocarbons are present. The firm claims its new HPC will enable 4D eFWI, adding time-lapse to further optimize development and production.

“By combining Discovery 6 and eFWI, we target to reduce 4D seismic processing time from months to weeks, resulting in better near real-time visualization, enhanced reservoir management and well placement, and increased resource recovery with less capital. This could enable further >$1 billion potential value capture to our first six FPSOs in the Stabroek Block,” underlined ExxonMobil.

The Discovery 6 supercomputer will utilize the HPE Cray Supercomputing EX4000, featuring 4,032 NVIDIA Grace Hopper Superchips and HPE Slingshot interconnect. With installation expected in the first half of 2025, the system will also employ energy-efficient 100% direct liquid cooling. 

The U.S. oil major highlights that Discovery 6 represents a significant advancement in supercomputing technology, enabling four times faster computational performance and high-performance networking as compared to its predecessor, the Discovery 5, which was ranked 16th on the TOP500 list of the world’s fastest supercomputers in November 2022. 

“Our significant investment in high-performance computing capacity will be a key enabler for executing advanced seismic processing technologies on our global corporate assets at scale,” concluded ExxonMobil.