Offshore reader poll reveals close race among technologies with long-term potential
Key highlights:
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Autonomous subsea systems narrowly led, with AI and remote operations close behind in a near three-way tie.
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Automation and digital technologies dominated, capturing more than 93% of all responses.
By Offshore staff
A recent Offshore reader poll found no clear consensus on which emerging technology will have the greatest long-term impact on the offshore energy industry, with respondents split among several leading digital and automation-focused innovations.
The poll, conducted Sept. 30-Oct. 18, drew 125 responses from offshore professionals across Brazil, the Netherlands, the US and India. When asked which offshore technology has the greatest long-term potential, respondents gave the highest share of votes to autonomous subsea systems (27.2%), followed closely by artificial intelligence (24.8%) and remote operations (24%). Advanced digital twins received 17.6% of responses, while composite materials garnered 6.4%.
The results point to strong industry interest in technologies that can improve efficiency, reduce offshore intervention requirements and enable greater automation across offshore operations. Notably, the top three technologies were separated by just over three percentage points, highlighting a broad belief that multiple innovations will play important roles in the industry's future.
About the poll participants
Survey participants represented a mix of leadership and technical professionals. More than one-third (37.5%) identified their role as executive management, while engineering and consulting professionals each accounted for 25% of respondents. Another 12.5% described themselves as CTOs, CIOs, VPs of Technology, VPs of Digital, or other technical executives.
Geographically, Brazil represented the largest share of respondents at 37.5%, followed by the Netherlands (25%), the US (25%), with all US respondents based in Texas, and India (12.5%).
By organization type, respondents were most commonly employed by engineering firms (37.5%) and consulting companies (37.5%), while EPC contractors accounted for 12.5% of participants.
Key takeaway
While autonomous subsea systems claimed the top spot, the narrow margin separating the leading technologies suggests offshore professionals see the industry's future being shaped by a combination of automation, AI and remote operations rather than a single breakthrough technology.
