Russia’s Oil and Gas Sector Is Getting an AI Makeover—Digital Integration to Surge 83% by 2030

In Russia, the oil and gas industry isn’t just pumping hydrocarbons—it’s now pumping data

According to Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, digital transformation is accelerating across the sector, with the share of IT technologies expected to skyrocket by 83% by 2030.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Sechin laid out a vision of a fully digitized extraction ecosystem. The exploration and production segment alone is forecast to grow its digital footprint by 14% annually, driven by AI, machine learning, and automation at scale.

What does that look like underground? Neural networks are already guiding drilling operations, predicting where oil reserves are hiding and helping engineers avoid costly errors. Machine learning is optimizing machinery performance in real time, minimizing downtime and preventing accidents before they happen.

And it’s not just about efficiency—it’s also about sustainability. The rollout of intelligent systems has begun to shrink the environmental impact of extraction and refining, signaling a new era where carbon-heavy industries lean on code to clean up their act.

By 2030, Russia’s energy giants won’t just be fossil fuel producers—they’ll be digital platforms wrapped in pipelines, redefining what industrial innovation looks like in one of the world's most traditional sectors.