DoE's Windberg: US shale to benefit from AI

Using artificial intelligence to analyse what is happening subsurface could have a huge impact on fracking's productivity

While no one would question the phenomenal success of US shale in terms of volume, making the country the world’s biggest producer, it has not been a great year for producers. Suffering under a relatively low oil price, rig counts have been falling for some time, and some suggest it has been a net consumer of capital since it exploded on the scene. “What the shale revolution has done—and is not clearly understood—is that the cycle times are much shorter now,” US assistant secretary for fossil energy Steven Winberg tells Petroleum Economist, noting that 40 years ago it took three to five years to put a platform in the Gulf of Mexico and start producing. “Now, a year is probably reasonable for