Innovation at Scale – Digital DNA in Energy Sector
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Society of Petroleum Engineers Western Australia is proud to present the details of our March 2026 SPE WA Technical Evening Meeting.
***** Please Note Venue and Date Change *****
New Venue: Pulse Technology Hub, 915 Hay St. Perth
New Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026
About the Presentations:
Presentation 1:
Agentic AI Powered Industrial Work Surface — Have We Unlocked the Ultimate Solution?
In an era where industrial complexity is outpacing human bandwidth, the emergence of agentic AI-powered industrial work surfaces marks a pivotal shift in how decisions are made across asset-intensive sectors like LNG. These platforms transcend traditional dashboards by integrating real-time data, physics-based simulations, and collaborative AI agents into a unified digital environment. The result? A step-change in the speed, quality, and precision of operational decision-making.
Rather than relying on fragmented systems and manual coordination, teams now operate within a shared, context-rich workspace where AI agents continuously observe, analyse, and recommend actions. From orchestrating workflows to simulating outcomes and enforcing compliance, these agents act as digital collaborators—augmenting human expertise without replacing it.
The impact is tangible: faster response times, reduced decision latency, and more consistent execution across maintenance, operations, and planning. By embedding intelligence directly into the flow of work, industrial work surfaces enable organizations to move from reactive firefighting to proactive optimization—without sacrificing control or transparency.
As industries navigate volatility, decarbonization, and workforce transformation, the question is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to do so responsibly and effectively. There’s never been a better time to consider an Agentic AI powered industrial work surface (not just a dumb digital twin), that offers a compelling answer—one that aligns human judgement with machine precision to unlock a new standard of operational excellence.
Presenter 1:
Siddharth (Sid) SETIA is GM APAC for Kongsberg Digital, where he spearheads Business Growth and Strategy across APAC markets including Australia, New Zealand, India, and Japan. Bringing more than two decades of industry experience, Sid joined Kongsberg Digital in early 2024, following a distinguished 15+ year tenure with the Fortune 500 Japanese conglomerate. Beyond his role at KDI, Sid contributes as a Board member on Society of Petroleum Engineer’s – Western Australia Chapter (SPE), Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NACC) and a Hyper-AI tech start-up focused on subsurface geology.
Sid is a Mechanical Engineer (India) and holds a post-grad in Petroleum Engineering from Curtin University, Australia.
Presentation 2:
Innovation at Scale: Oil and Gas – Outside in View
It can be argued that Innovation was not central to survival in O&G industry. The basic playbook from Exploration to Retail was established, decades ago; continues to exist, and therefore the commercial sustainability was never a challenge apart from Commodity pricing &/or geo-political flux. Fundamental ‘resource demand’ was (and ignoring the noise, it still is) not a question & Supply too was not an issue. Hence why innovate (read ‘cost’) when it’s not central but merely a plug in.
Yet, the imperative for Innovation is still the same – ‘Power Law’, one break through pays for all the bad bets, making the pain worthwhile.
With the headwinds to the O&G sector (Climate Transition, Political Instability, Energy Security), innovation might be needed to survive and not merely differentiate. Currently, Continuous improvement is disguised as innovation. This needs to be reflected upon and challenged. (e.g. SpaceX disrupts Space Technology, ChatGPT disrupts Search).
Hence, we need to devise key principles to ‘revitalise’ the innovator’s DNA which appears dormant (not absent though). What a Digital Clay map can look like today for Operators. Key questions include defining the north star and establishing the governance structure.
In this talk, we will also examine current mode of R&D operations that few super majors have adopted, and we discuss an interesting case study of the digital innovation creating a ‘Vertical Integration’ opportunity in mining, thereby disrupting the business model. What could be the O&G take away.
Also, we will try to examine temporally the key change thesis from- “what? So what? Why now? What now?” Lens pioneered by Don Valentine (Sequoia).
Presenter 2:
Mohit Tiwary is partnering with Major Energy organizations with global footprints, supporting their business imperatives.
Recent forays include transformative and consulting assignments with Business and Technology leaders including CxOs relevant to Field/facility Operations and Production. This includes bringing together innovation engagements and developing Industry first solutions together. Core Belief is that Sustainability is a function of ‘agile innovation’ at intersection of people-process-technology.
Above is underpinned through the Oil & Gas experience gained during the formative years in FPSO Topside Design Engineering, Refinery Turnaround, Maintenance Planning & Scheduling, Major & Minor Projects management, Process Safety and Reliability Management. He has strong exposure to various Ops & Maintenance systems and has helped in process implementation, optimization and modernization initiatives with Australian Oil & Gas Customers.
About the Event
Price: Early Bird SPE Member $65 <Until 19 March 2026>
Early Bird Non-Member $80 <Until 19 March 2026>
SPE Member $75
Non-Member $90
Date: Wednesday, 25 March 2026
Location: Pulse Technology Hub
Address: 915 Hay St, Perth WA
Time: 4:45pm – 5:00pm Registration & Networking.
Time: 5:00pm – 5:50pm Opening remarks and presentation.
Time: 5:50pm – 6:00pm Q&A Session.
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30 pm Networking drinks & nibbles.
Free tickets are available for Students. SPE WA in conjunction with our sponsors is kindly sponsoring students to attend the monthly technical events. Please apply through your Student Chapter.