Oil rush: Technology firms stampede to woo the energy industry
石油熱: 科技公司爭(zhēng)先恐后地爭(zhēng)取能源產(chǎn)業(yè)的垂青
A GIANT HOTEL in Houston teemed with oil-and-gas executives on March 11th, the start of a CERAWeek. IHS Markit, a research firm which organised the shindig, lined up America’s energy secretary, the chief executives of BP and Chevron (two of the world’s largest oil companies), and other luminaries. Among the dark suits was an open-collared newcomer: Andy Jassy, head of Amazon Web Services. Speaking to a vast ballroom, he extolled the cloud-computing giant’s virtues of moving quickly and learning from failure. Mr Jassy was there not just to offer management advice to what were once the world’s most valuable companies. He was also after their custom.
上月11日，劍橋能源周（CERAWeek）開(kāi)幕，油氣企業(yè)高管云集休斯頓一家大型酒店。這個(gè)由研究公司IHS Markit組織的盛大聚會(huì)邀請(qǐng)到了眾多名人，包括美國(guó)能源部長(zhǎng)，以及全球最大的兩家石油公司英國(guó)石油（BP）和雪佛龍的首席執(zhí)行官。在一眾身著深色西裝的與會(huì)者當(dāng)中，有一位敞著領(lǐng)口的新面孔：亞馬遜云服務(wù)平臺(tái)AWS的主管安迪·雅西（Andy Jassy）。面對(duì)碩大的會(huì)場(chǎng)，他盛贊這個(gè)云計(jì)算巨頭行動(dòng)迅速以及能從失敗中學(xué)習(xí)的優(yōu)點(diǎn)。雅西參會(huì)并不僅僅是為了向各家曾經(jīng)的全球最高市值公司提供管理建議。他還想和它們做生意。
Energy companies are keen to produce oil and gas more efficiently, as they grapple with volatile prices and uncertain long-term demand. Digital investments promise to cut costs and boost output. Tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet, as well as a clutch of startups, want to help. For all of Silicon Valley’s professed support for clean power over fossil fuels, the energy industry represents a huge opportunity. Oil companies’ valuations are dwarfed by tech firms’, but their coffers remain deep (see chart).
能源企業(yè)要努力應(yīng)對(duì)價(jià)格波動(dòng)和長(zhǎng)期需求充滿(mǎn)變數(shù)的局面，因而迫切想提高油氣生產(chǎn)效率。數(shù)字投資有望降低成本、提高產(chǎn)量。亞馬遜、微軟和Alphabet這樣的科技巨頭以及一小批創(chuàng)業(yè)公司希望能助它們一臂之力。盡管硅谷聲稱(chēng)自己倡導(dǎo)的是清潔電能而不是化石燃料，但能源產(chǎn)業(yè)蘊(yùn)藏著巨大的商機(jī)。石油公司的估值遠(yuǎn)不及科技公司，但它們的錢(qián)袋子始終是鼓鼓的（見(jiàn)圖表）。
Countless industries claim that big data and artificial intelligence (AI) will usher in new prosperity. The trend in oil and gas is nevertheless notable, partly because it is marked, partly because it comes late. For years, many companies remained focused on increasing reserves of oil, not extracting it cost-efficiently. Managers struggled to use data siloed in different parts of the company or in different parts of the world.
聲稱(chēng)大數(shù)據(jù)及人工智能（AI）將為自己帶來(lái)新繁榮的行業(yè)數(shù)不勝數(shù)。不過(guò)油氣行業(yè)的動(dòng)向值得關(guān)注，一方面是因?yàn)樵撔袠I(yè)地位昭然，一方面也因?yàn)樗诓捎眯录夹g(shù)方面慢了一步。多年來(lái)，很多公司仍舊專(zhuān)注于提高石油儲(chǔ)量，而不是用符合成本效益的方法開(kāi)采石油。管理者也難以利用那些孤立地分散在公司不同部門(mén)或世界各地的數(shù)據(jù)。
That is changing. Abundant shale oil has made the hunt for reserves less urgent than the need to protect profits. Shale also highlights the utility of new analytics, says Paul Goyden of BCG, a consultancy, as data gush from thousands of wells studded through Texas, North Dakota and other rich fields. Falling costs of sensors, storage and computing power have made digital investments even more attractive.
情形正在改變。有了豐富的頁(yè)巖油儲(chǔ)備后，探尋儲(chǔ)備的緊迫性就落在了保護(hù)利潤(rùn)的需要之后。波士頓咨詢(xún)公司（BCG）的保羅·戈伊登（Paul Goyden）表示，隨著遍布德州、北達(dá)科他州和其他儲(chǔ)量豐富的油田的成千上萬(wàn)個(gè)油井產(chǎn)生出大量數(shù)據(jù)，頁(yè)巖油還突顯出新分析方法的實(shí)用性。傳感器、存儲(chǔ)和計(jì)算成本的下降更是增加了數(shù)字投資的吸引力。
Early projects are starting to bring results. BP is combining real-time information from sensors with its own models and analytics to optimise output—it estimates such digital tools boosted oil production by more than 30,000 barrels per day last year. Yuri Sebregts, the chief technology officer for Shell, says it could take months for a geoscientist to map faults underground. Software can now sort through seismic data, performing the same task in a few hours for about $20.
早期項(xiàng)目已開(kāi)始開(kāi)花結(jié)果。BP正將來(lái)自傳感器的實(shí)時(shí)信息與自己的模型和分析方法相結(jié)合，以?xún)?yōu)化產(chǎn)出。它估計(jì)，這樣的數(shù)字工具去年令石油日產(chǎn)量增加超過(guò)三萬(wàn)桶。殼牌的首席技術(shù)官尤里·賽博雷茨（Yuri Sebregts）說(shuō)，一名地球?qū)W家測(cè)繪地下斷層可能要耗時(shí)數(shù)月。如今軟件可以查看并整理地震數(shù)據(jù)，短短幾個(gè)小時(shí)便可完成同樣的任務(wù)，成本約20美元。
As such efforts ramp up, energy firms are pairing in-house expertise with that of the tech industry. Microsoft has courted them the longest. In February ExxonMobil announced that its sprawling shale operations in the Permian basin, in Texas, would use Microsoft’s cloud, AI and other services. That may help ExxonMobil to drill and deploy staff more efficiently, and limit methane leaks. Amazon is trying to catch up. The size of its oil-and-gas team has tripled in recent years, and the company is working with energy giants such as Halliburton and Shell. In Houston it showed off data-storage kit that was continuously showered with water, to prove its mettle in inhospitable oilfields.
隨著能源企業(yè)加大力度采用這類(lèi)工具和技術(shù)，它們開(kāi)始讓本行業(yè)和科技行業(yè)各自的專(zhuān)長(zhǎng)“強(qiáng)強(qiáng)聯(lián)手”。微軟追逐它們的時(shí)間最久。2月，?？松梨谛迹湮挥诘轮荻B紀(jì)盆地的龐大頁(yè)巖油項(xiàng)目將采用微軟的云、AI以及其他服務(wù)。這也許能幫助該公司更高效地鉆取石油和部署人員，并控制甲烷泄露。亞馬遜正在努力追趕。近些年其油氣團(tuán)隊(duì)的規(guī)模已擴(kuò)張至原來(lái)的三倍，且正與哈里伯頓（Halliburton）和殼牌等能源巨頭合作。在休斯頓，它展示了持續(xù)被淋水的數(shù)據(jù)存儲(chǔ)套件，以證明該設(shè)備無(wú)懼油田的惡劣環(huán)境。
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is a relative laggard, but hopes to change that. Last year Google Cloud hired Darryl Willis, a former BP executive, to lead a new energy group. He estimates that the industry is using 1-5% of available data. Alphabet has signed deals with Total of France, as well as Anadarko, an American oil company that is testing automated drilling and has an AI specialist on its board of directors.
谷歌母公司Alphabet的行動(dòng)相對(duì)滯后，但希望改變局面。去年，谷歌云聘請(qǐng)了前BP高管達(dá)里爾·威利斯（Darryl Willis）來(lái)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)一個(gè)新的能源團(tuán)隊(duì)。他估計(jì)能源行業(yè)利用了1%到5%的可用數(shù)據(jù)。Alphabet已與法國(guó)的道達(dá)爾和美國(guó)石油公司阿納達(dá)科（Anadarko）簽訂協(xié)議。阿納達(dá)科正在測(cè)試自動(dòng)化鉆探，其董事會(huì)里還有一位AI專(zhuān)家。
Energy companies feel somewhat jittery about working with large tech firms—and not just because the Silicon Valley stars have outshone them. Automation raises the risk of hacking. Tech firms’ ballooning ambitions raise eyebrows. One questioner asked Mr Jassy if Amazon would itself start producing oil and gas. He said no, as the room giggled nervously.
能源企業(yè)對(duì)于和大型科技公司合作還是懷揣幾分不安。原因不僅僅是硅谷明星們的光芒蓋過(guò)了它們。自動(dòng)化增加了被黑客攻擊的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。而科技公司日益膨脹的野心也引人側(cè)目。一名提問(wèn)者問(wèn)雅西，亞馬遜自己會(huì)不會(huì)開(kāi)始生產(chǎn)石油和天然氣。會(huì)場(chǎng)內(nèi)發(fā)出一陣不安的輕笑聲。他說(shuō)不會(huì)。
It is not just the oilmen who are uneasy about the partnerships. Amazon, Microsoft and Google rely on clever young coders, who dislike working for controversial industries. “We are a partner and we follow the energy partner’s needs,” says Caglayan Arkan, who oversees Microsoft’s work with the energy sector. But in February Microsoft employees demanded that it cancel a contract to sell augmented-reality headsets to America’s military. Last year Google decided not to renew a contract with the Pentagon, after some staff argued the company should not be in the “business of war”. Tech workers may yet insist they not be in the business of fossil fuels either.
對(duì)這種合作關(guān)系感到不自在的不止石油商。亞馬遜、微軟和谷歌靠的是年輕有為的程序員，而這些人不喜歡為有爭(zhēng)議的行業(yè)工作。“我們作為合作伙伴，要遵照能源合作伙伴的需求行事?！蔽④浀目ǜ窭哦鳌ぐ柨希–aglayan Arkan）說(shuō)。他負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)督微軟與能源行業(yè)的合作。但在2月，微軟的員工要求公司取消向美國(guó)軍方出售增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)頭戴設(shè)備的合同。去年，谷歌一部分員工指出谷歌不應(yīng)參與“戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)生意”，隨后該公司決定不與五角大樓續(xù)訂合同?？萍紡臉I(yè)者可能也會(huì)堅(jiān)持自己不參與化石燃料的生意。
