In a strategic pivot that extends far beyond typical corporate upgrades, PETRONAS is executing a national data strategy designed to redefine Malaysia’s position in the global energy landscape. The company is making a calculated, multi-billion-dollar bet that in the 21st century, digital supremacy is as valuable as geological assets. This ambitious strategy hinges on transforming the nation’s vast hydrocarbon data into an intelligent, predictive, and monetizable asset through the aggressive application of Artificial Intelligence.
The strategic imperative is clear and has been articulated by the highest levels of leadership. President and Group CEO, Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik, has framed AI as an “indispensable foundational technology” necessary to navigate the complexities of the energy trilemma – the simultaneous challenge of ensuring security, affordability, and sustainability. This executive mandate provides the thrust for what is arguably one of the most comprehensive digital transformations in the industry today.
At the heart of this strategy lies the myPROdata platform, the digital gateway to Malaysia’s upstream sector. PETRONAS is systematically evolving this platform from a conventional data repository into a sophisticated, AI-powered engine designed to de-risk investment and accelerate discovery. The roadmap is clear: MyPROdata 2.0, targeted for 2025, will feature Generative AI-powered semantic search for the Malaysia Bid Round, with the ultimate goal of an integrated database powered by “Agentic AI” capable of autonomously performing complex tasks like seismic interpretation and reservoir simulation by 2026.
To bring this vision to life, PETRONAS has assembled a formidable ecosystem of partners, each chosen to fulfill a specific role. Global tech giants like AWS and SLB are providing the foundational cloud and Generative AI infrastructure. On top of this sit domain specialists like Earth Science Analytics (ESA) and the “TriCipta AI” venture with Beicip-Franlab and AFED Digital, who are deploying targeted AI applications to solve high-value E&P problems. This digital layer is then connected to the physical world through automation partnerships with Velesto Drilling and NOV, aiming to translate digital insights into safer, more efficient drilling operations.
Underpinning this entire structure is a crucial investment in human capital through an alliance with FPT Corporation and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, ensuring a sustainable pipeline of local talent to power this digital future.
This intricate ecosystem serves two primary strategic goals. First, to achieve “internal supremacy” by creating “advantaged barrels” – resources found faster and produced more economically and sustainably, and second, driving “external growth” through a transformative partnership with industrial software leaders.
PETRONAS’s strategy is a clear-eyed declaration that the future of energy will be won by those who can most effectively turn data into barrels. By building a competitive moat based on data, algorithms, and a world-class partner ecosystem, the company is not just securing its own future; it is aiming to redefine the technological benchmark for the entire region.
