TGS, the world’s largest purveyor of energy data, is undergoing a fundamental transformation, shifting its identity from a seismic data firm that uses technology to a technology firm empowered by seismic data. This strategic pivot is driven by the integration of artificial intelligence and cloud computing to revolutionize how energy resources are discovered and managed. The company is leveraging its vast four-decade archive of subsurface data to build advanced analytical tools, aiming to increase efficiency and accelerate discovery in an industry facing mounting pressure to evolve.
At the heart of this evolution is a push to modernize exploration workflows, making them faster, more cost-effective, and less reliant on the intuition of seasoned experts. By harnessing sophisticated imaging algorithms and AI-driven models, TGS is creating a “seismic foundation model” capable of democratizing geological expertise. This initiative, led by Executive Vice President of Imaging & Technology Wadii El Karkouri, represents a significant bet on the convergence of digital innovation and deep energy sector knowledge to meet the world’s growing energy demands responsibly.
A New Identity Forged from Data
For 44 years, TGS has built its business on acquiring, processing, and selling subsurface data to oil and gas companies to inform their investment decisions. The company’s business model traditionally centered on a multi-client approach, where TGS invests its own capital to acquire data and then licenses it to multiple energy firms. This has resulted in the accumulation of a massive library of global subsurface data, which El Karkouri likens to a “Google Maps for underground geology.” Now, this historical data is becoming the fuel for a new, technology-driven engine.
The company’s leadership is steering a deliberate shift, moving beyond its roots as a seismic company enabled by technology to become a technology company that leverages seismic data. This transition is underpinned by decades of acquisitions that have brought together disparate technologies, datasets, and human expertise. The challenge, according to El Karkouri, is to integrate these “pieces of Lego” into a cohesive, digital-first ecosystem. TGS operates through four main divisions: seismic data acquisition, processing and imaging, the multi-client data business, and a growing renewable energy unit focused on wind and solar solutions, reflecting a broader strategy aligned with the global energy transition.
Harnessing the Power of the Cloud
A critical enabler of this transformation is the adoption of cloud computing. TGS vessels, some costing up to US$250 million, acquire vast amounts of raw data at sea using airgun sources and advanced sensors. In the past, this data was physically transported via helicopter on storage devices. Today, modern satellite technology, including Starlink, allows for real-time data transmission from vessels directly to cloud processing centers. This leap forward significantly shortens the time from acquisition to analysis.
Once in the cloud, the data undergoes intensive processing to clean signals and remove noise before sophisticated imaging algorithms are applied. Two key techniques, elastic full waveform inversion and reverse time migration, require immense computational power to convert time-based seismic signals into accurate, depth-based geological maps. These detailed three-dimensional images can reveal complex subsurface features such as salt formations, faults, and reservoir channels with unprecedented clarity. El Karkouri notes that advances in cloud and AI are pushing the physics of imaging to a level never seen before, allowing for better investment decisions and, ultimately, more successful energy discoveries.
Overcoming Legacy Data Hurdles
The transition to the cloud is not without its challenges. The sheer volume and variety of legacy data accumulated over decades present a significant hurdle. El Karkouri uses an analogy of Netflix being born 50 years ago and having to manage data on tapes alongside modern digital formats. TGS is undertaking a massive effort to standardize and migrate its extensive archives to the cloud, ensuring all data is in a consistent format. This “tidying up” process is essential to enable new, streamlined workflows and is a service TGS also offers to large energy companies facing similar data management challenges.
AI-Driven Subsurface Exploration
The vast, standardized dataset residing in the cloud serves as the foundation for TGS’s most ambitious technological endeavor: a “seismic foundation model.” This generative AI system functions like a chatbot for subsurface exploration, capable of identifying patterns and connections across different geological basins worldwide. This technology aims to codify and democratize the kind of deep, interconnected knowledge that was previously held only in the minds of geologists with decades of experience.
By making sophisticated geological insights accessible through AI, TGS hopes to accelerate discovery rates and reduce the industry’s reliance on a shrinking pool of human experts. This innovation addresses a key challenge in the oil and gas industry, which has been traditionally slow to adopt digital tools. El Karkouri’s goal is to foster a new generation of explorers and producers who are “thinking digitally from the beginning.” This is particularly important in an era of more frequent and volatile economic cycles, where the expected return on technology investment has shrunk from five to seven years to just 12 to 18 months.
Commitment to Responsible AI
As TGS embeds AI into its core operations, it has established a comprehensive governance framework to ensure its responsible use. The company’s generative AI policy balances innovation with strict controls around data use, intellectual property protection, and regulatory compliance. The emphasis is not just on following rules but on using AI as a transformative enabler for operational efficiency and delivering accelerated insights to clients, all while maintaining clear boundaries to protect confidential and sensitive information.
Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration
TGS’s digital transformation is not a solo effort. It relies heavily on a network of strategic partnerships across the technology ecosystem. The company collaborates with cloud providers like Google Cloud and AWS to modernize its infrastructure and processing capabilities. Global IT services firm EPAM acts as the primary systems integrator for updating workflows and architecture, while cybersecurity firm Wiz is engaged to monitor the company’s cloud footprint against potential threats. These collaborations are crucial, as El Karkouri emphasizes that no single organization possesses all the expertise needed for such a comprehensive transformation.
The company is also an active participant in industry-wide standards initiatives like the Open Group OSDU Forum, which aims to create common data formats and protocols to facilitate easier data exchange across the energy sector. In a significant contribution to this effort, TGS has provided its MDIO streaming format as open-source software, enabling more efficient data access without creating multiple copies. These partnerships extend to academia, with TGS maintaining relationships with universities and research consortia to access cutting-edge research and explore cross-industry knowledge transfer.
The Future of Energy Exploration
Looking ahead, Wadii El Karkouri envisions TGS enabling the energy industry to achieve efficiency gains comparable to those seen in finance, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. The company’s mission is to provide vital data-driven solutions for society’s evolving energy needs. With the global population approaching eight billion and significant energy poverty still affecting a billion people, the demand for all forms of energy—including oil and gas, wind, solar, and hydrogen—is expected to grow.
TGS is positioning itself to support this comprehensive energy portfolio, recognizing the ongoing need for hydrocarbon resources while investing in renewable energy development. The ultimate goal is to transform upstream workflows to be better, faster, and more cost-effective. By integrating advanced technology, deep human expertise, and its unparalleled library of subsurface data, TGS aims to enable smarter, more efficient energy discoveries with a minimal carbon footprint, fundamentally changing the energy industry for the future.