Aker BP, a European oil company, under a new agreement with Armada, an edge infrastructure company, will install a modular data center on an offshore drilling rig, aiming to process drilling data directly at sea rather than relying on onshore systems. The deployment, planned for the Norwegian Continental Shelf, is intended to reduce delays caused by limited connectivity between rigs and shore-based infrastructure.
The new system called Armada’s Galleon platform allows real-time analysis of operational and downhole data on the rig itself. Offshore operators have long faced gaps in bandwidth and reliability when transmitting large data volumes, which can slow decision-making during drilling operations as described in a press release.
Instead of sending data back to land for processing, the setup introduces local computing capacity designed to keep critical systems running even during network interruptions. This includes the ability to run AI models onboard to identify potential equipment failures and avoid unplanned downtime.
The platform also consolidates multiple software systems into a single architecture. Offshore rigs typically rely on a mix of operational technology and IT systems from different vendors; combining them into one environment is expected to simplify maintenance, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance.
Aker BP plans to begin with a single installation on one rig. If the system performs as expected, the company intends to replicate the setup across other assets using the same configuration, rather than designing each deployment individually.
The companies said they had already identified initial use cases for the system, focused on processing offshore data and running analytical models locally. The project follows earlier efforts by Armada to deploy similar modular computing systems in remote environments, including a maritime test with the U.S. Navy.