Technology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian

In the Permian Basin, technology is transforming ExxonMobil's operations. As we continue to grow production and develop resources to help meet the world's energy needs, we are leveraging technology to make our drilling operations safer, more efficient and more consistent.

Deployment of automated drilling rigs across ExxonMobil's Permian operations represents a significant advancement in safe and efficient operations. We've contracted industry-leading drilling operators to help modernize our drilling fleet with advanced robotic systems that can perform some of the industry's most physically demanding and higher-risk tasks.

The greatest benefit is safety. Activities such as handling heavy drill pipe have historically required workers on the rig floor to operate close to heavy equipment and moving machinery. Now, mechanical arms and robotic systems can perform much of that work, reducing workers' exposure to higher-risk tasks.

We believe this technology has the potential to eliminate roughly one-third of high-consequence drilling incidents. With safety being a nonnegotiable priority, this type of development is an obvious choice when it comes to protecting workers and improving overall drilling performance.

Automation is not about replacing people. We expect to maintain similar staffing levels on automated rigs, and we view the technology as a force multiplier, not a replacement. By taking on repetitive and higher-risk activities, automated rigs allow our people to focus on oversight, decision-making, equipment optimization and other higher-value work that can only be executed by human expertise and experience.

Recent demonstrations of H&P's FlexRobotics^® technology highlight what the future of drilling can look like: advanced automation working alongside highly skilled crews. When experienced personnel, real-time data, and robotic systems come together, we see greater consistency, reliability, and efficiency - all under the same north star of safe operations.

Automated rigs are just one of more than 50 technologies being deployed across ExxonMobil's Permian operations to support future growth. We recently expanded agreements to accelerate deployment, with plans to automate more than half of our unconventional drilling fleet by year-end 2028.

As we work toward our goal of increasing Permian production to approximately 2.5 million oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2030, innovations like automated drilling rigs are helping deliver energy while reinforcing a core commitment: ensuring employees can perform their work safely and return home at the end of every day.