IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Oil and Gas 2025 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Oil and Gas 2025 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: To enhance decision-making quality, by 2026, 50% of E&P will invest in GenAI-powered subsurface platforms, enabling G&G stakeholders to access quick and accurate information in natural language.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: To improve field service–related cost, safety, and sustainability, by 2027, 50% of upstream and OFS orgs will implement connected services and worker programs enabled by IoT, AI, and AR-XR tools.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: Driven by net-zero goals, by 2026, 2/3 of O&G firms will form CCS alliances operationalizing end-to-end solutions to decarbonize the hard-to-abate sector, thus monetizing low-carbon opportunities.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By 2026, half of refiners will bridge the data management gap to leverage AI, driving innovations in product quality, energy efficiency, and process control, yielding an annualized benefit of $50M.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: Aiming for excellence in LNG operations, safety, and sustainability, 60% of operators will launch digital LNG programs by 2027, spurring adoption of digital twins and APM, reducing O&M cost by 20%.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By 2028, 75% of oil majors will utilize drones combined with AI for offshore asset inspections, decreasing carbon emissions related to asset maintenance by 30% and reducing asset downtime by 50%.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2027, 70% of oil and gas companies will invest in digital supply chain programs streamlining procurement and optimizing inventory and logistics, resulting in reduced associated cost by 40%.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2029, 60% of operators will implement advanced communication technologies, powered by 5G and edge, in oilfields, increasing employee productivity by 30% and operational efficiencies by 40%.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2025, 60% of O&G firms will use AI and automation to upgrade and integrate siloed ESG processes into digital ESG & risk management platforms, enhancing reporting tools and cutting legal risks by 75%.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: By 2028, only 40% of O&G firms will avoid talent shortages by empowering their full workforce with AI tools and learning, leading to enhanced skills, improved safety, and more appealing jobs.

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI-Driven Business Models — Moving From AI Experimentation to Monetization

• The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future

• Future Proofing Against Environmental Risks — ESG Operationalization and Risk Management

• AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today

• Regulatory Flux — Navigating Compliance Challenges in a Shifting Policy Landscape

• Geoeconomic Reordering — Rethinking Globalization, Supply Chains, and Macroeconomic Challenges

• Responsible and Human-Centric Technology — Ethics in the Enterprise

Learn More

• Related Research