Heat, Oil, and Code: Russia's Digital Talent Fuels the Energy Sector

Russia’s extractive industry is tapping into homegrown digital talent as Gazprom Neft launches a new wave of internship-driven IT recruitment—bridging geology and code to build sovereign tech infrastructure

Beyond Pipes and Rigs: Attracting the Brightest Coders to Energy

A staggering 440 applications from 12 top Russian technical universities poured in for just 23 internship slots at Gazprom Neft’s IT cluster. That’s 19 applicants per spot—an acceptance rate many tech accelerators would envy.

The company’s goal? To shape future-ready talent for digital projects across the oil and gas value chain. Interns from universities such as ITMO, Saint Petersburg Mining University, and SPbGEU are already contributing to real-world projects. Within just three months, more than half of them received full-time offers.

The program reflects a strategic investment in digital sovereignty. By embedding university talent early, Gazprom Neft reduces its reliance on external hiring and foreign software while nurturing a workforce steeped in both IT skills and energy industry context.

Interns gain hands-on experience working at scale—on challenges they might have only heard about in theory. Meanwhile, the company builds a loyal talent pipeline, equipped with domain knowledge and corporate alignment.

Developing digital talent is a top priority for Gazprom Neft. We’ve launched major initiatives, including our 'Vendor Education League' project that connects Russian tech providers with universities to prepare specialists with the skills industry truly needs. Together, we’re building an educational ecosystem that empowers our employees and young professionals to master new technologies and tackle future challenges. I’m confident these investments will ensure the company’s resilience and accelerate both sectoral and national progress.

Anton Dumin

CIO, Gazprom Neft

Evolving the Digital Workforce Landscape

Driven by national priorities, Russia’s energy giants are accelerating the adoption of AI, predictive analytics, and digital twin technologies. Programs by Rosneft and Lukoil have tested the waters with hackathons and short-term internships, but Gazprom Neft’s initiative marks a new level of depth and structure.

The company’s University League now spans 47 academic institutions, creating a full-cycle ecosystem that guides talent from research to employment. The demand is unmistakable: this isn’t just a recruitment drive, it’s a blueprint for developing sovereign digital infrastructure.

Forecast: More Labs, More Coders, More Impact

The next phase of expansion will include a broader range of roles—from developers to data analysts, product owners, and project managers. Deeper university collaboration will unlock more joint labs, grants, and internship pipelines.

Gazprom Neft’s internally developed IT solutions for exploration optimization, equipment diagnostics, and logistics could become exportable products themselves—bolstering Russia’s presence in the global industrial tech market.

This successful model sets a precedent across the sector. Similar programs with wider reach and specialization are expected, catalyzing innovation and accelerating IT deployments in critical infrastructure.

A Digital Talent Well Worth Drilling

The high demand for Gazprom Neft’s internship is a signal: the future of energy isn’t just in oil fields. It lies in lines of code. Russia’s energy security is being written by students who see a future for themselves not in Silicon Valley, but in Siberia, coding digital wells instead of drilling physical ones.

Sustained investment in people is proving to be the most valuable resource of all.