DNV survey shows half of energy organisations preparing to integrate AI in the coming year

Published yesterday, DNV’s latest Energy Industry Insights special report, “Leading a data-driven transition,” draws on the 14th annual survey of nearly 1300 senior professionals, alongside in-depth interviews with industry leaders and experts.

Among other things, the survey highlights digitalisation’s crucial role in transforming the energy sector, impacting generation, transmission, distribution, and consumption. AI-driven technologies like smart grids, predictive maintenance, and real-time data analytics are already taking hold in the energy sector and promise to revolutionise it further in the coming years. However, success in digitalisation requires innovation, strategic vision, and leadership, making it as urgent as decarbonisation, especially given that a timely and effective energy transition will be impossible without it.

Digital Leaders vs. digital laggards

The survey reveals a stark contrast between ‘Digital Leaders’ and ‘Digital Laggards.’ While 28% of respondents identified their organisations are excelling in digitalisation and showing greater optimism about achieving revenue, profit, and decarbonisation goals, 37% reported the opposite. DNV has called the former Digital Leaders, and the latter digital laggards.

Leaders are significantly ahead in using digital technologies for decarbonisation and energy transition, with 68% having quality data and 80% already benefiting from digital technologies, compared to 21% and 33% of laggards respectively.

On emerging technologies in general — like AI (27%) and digital twins (34%) — around one-third of Leaders say they are live or advanced, compared to just single-digit percentages for laggards. In fact, most Laggards report being in the early development stages (planning or piloting) of all the key technologies DNV asked about.

AI and data: Driving the future

Almost 50% of the 1300 senior professionals that responded to DNV’s survey said they plan to integrate AI-driven applications into their operations in the coming year, with digital leaders leading the charge.

The top three most impactful data-driven applications for Digital Leaders are optimising processes, integrating systems and databases, and automating operations. However, 50% - 60% of leaders also report major or massive impacts from a wide range of other data-driven innovations, from predictive maintenance to supply chain management. Laggards trail across the board, with the largest shortfalls in key areas, such as the integration of systems and databases, automating operations, and empowering consumers or customers.

The value of applications is often diluted by problems involving the integration of systems and databases. Paula Doyle, Chief Digital Officer at Aker BP describes that: "typically, companies have a lot of legacy systems where data is locked into the application” and explains that it’s necessary to “liberate and contextualise data from industrial systems to make it accessible to both humans and machines [for] better and faster decisions."

AI and advanced data analytics are pivotal in this transformation. The report estimates that by 2050, AI will support a US$1.3 trillion decrease in clean energy generation costs and reduce grid equipment costs by US$188 billion. Overall, power system costs will be reduced by 6 - 13%. AI is now an indispensable building block of energy systems, with 47% of respondents saying their organisation will use AI-driven applications in their operations in the year ahead — a figure climbing to as high as 69% for digital leaders.

Paula Doyle highlights the challenge of becoming more data-driven, emphasising the need for a specialised workforce to effectively track and manage data. She notes, "the efficient automation of data delivery becomes extremely important, and this is where AI can play a key role."

Challenges and opportunities

Despite the progress, significant challenges remain. Resistance to change is a major barrier for both leaders and laggards, compounded by the need to balance safety and agility in an industry where failure is not an option.

Digital Leaders stand out from the rest by placing digitalisation at the centre of their organisation’s strategy and using this to improve business performance. Almost all (90%) said that digitalisation is central to their organisation’s strategy, compared to just 39% of laggards.

The path forward

Lucy Craig, Director of Growth, Innovation and Digitalisation, Energy Systems at DNV, added: “As the energy sector navigates the twin challenges of digitalisation and decarbonisation, the ability to adapt and innovate will define success. DNV’s survey identifies the key challenges facing organisations in harnessing the power of digital technologies and also highlights the opportunities that come with change. Digital leaders distinguish themselves by embedding digitalisation at the core of their strategy, fostering a culture of innovation, and investing in the right technologies. Over the next year, these organisations are poised to build on their progress and maintain their advantage by focusing on further digitalisation and cyber-resilience".

Image: Sample profile: Leading a Data-Driven Transition.

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