DRILLBITS
Monthly eNewsletter from the IADC

IADC Celebrates Anniversary at World Drilling with 500+ Attendees

9 July 2025

Topics

The 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference and Exhibition took place 10-11 June at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Thank you to the 500+ attendees who joined us for 2 days of exceptional presentations, lively discussions, and top-tier networking. A highlight for us was celebrating our 85th anniversary with our Members during a special reception.

From left to right: Scott Farmer, Jason McFarland, & Darren Sutherland

Congratulations to Scott Farmer & Darren Sutherland for receiving Exemplary Service Awards at this year’s conference! Thank you both for your outstanding commitment to the betterment of this industry.

Opening and keynote presentations were given by:

Kevin Neveu, 2025 IADC Chairman; President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Precision Drilling
Thomas Gautherot, Vice President Drilling & Wells, TotalEnergies
Roddie Mackenzie, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, Transocean

IADC gladly sponsored 9 students and 1 professor from the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and the University of Boumerdes.

Drilling Contractor Interviews from the 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference

Navigating the “new wave” of M&As requires focus on culture, technology

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become a defining feature of the current drilling landscape. As operators consolidate for greater efficiency and value, contractors are following suit, bringing together technologies and people to drive performance. Speaking to DC from the 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on 11 June, Rodrigo Rendon, Head of Business Development at H&P, discussed the current M&A climate in drilling, how drillers are motivated by the promise of greater value and how they face challenges of uniting distinct technology offerings following a merger. He also talked about the ways in which companies can overcome the potential cultural mismatches that could derail progress, and why aligning safety standards is critical to ensuring a successful consolidation.

Overcoming non-technical challenges key for Precision Drilling in installing robotics package in Canada

In working with NOV to install a robotics system on one of its land rigs in Canada, Precision Drilling faced several non-technical challenges. Specifically, the project emphasized the importance of tempering expectations on what the system could do, as well as the importance of securing strategic alignment with both the vendor and the operator early on in order to actualize ideas effectively.

Speaking with DC from the 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference, Robert Houston, VP of Operations at Precision Drilling, talked about these challenges, as well as how the technologies impacted multiple key performance indicators. Mr Houston also discussed potential performance gains that robotics systems in general can provide to drilling contractors.

NOV pushes automation boundaries with deployment of robotics system on Canadian land rig

Last year, NOV worked with Precision Drilling to deploy a robotic drilling system on a land rig in Canada. The system consisted of three robotic arms, an integrated control system, and upgraded instrumentation on existing equipment to ensure seamless handoffs throughout the drilling process. The technologies enabled field personnel to focus on what Graham Dey, VP of Product Management at NOV, termed “higher value” operational tasks by automating repeatable and potentially hazardous activities on the rig, such as tripping pipe and tailing casing.

In this interview from the 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on 10 June, Mr Dey talked about the ways in which the system enables more consistent execution of critical drilling operations, as well as the strategic considerations NOV had to factor in when developing the system.

Increasing use of AI, cloud systems heightens cybersecurity risks for drillers

The introduction of AI and cloud computing platforms has allowed the drilling industry to link previously isolated operational technology (OT) systems onboard rigs. This integration presents both opportunities and challenges with regards to cybersecurity. It will be critical for drillers to understand how they can effectively mitigate the potential cyber risks and enhance their overall security as AI and the cloud become more integral to their operations, said Mate Csorba, Lead Cybersecurity Specialist at DNV.

In this interview with DC from the 2025 IADC World Drilling Conference, Mr Csorba outlined what he called the “blurring of borders” between OT systems and IT (information technology) systems, as well as the short-, mid- and long-term use cases for AI in drilling. He also discussed the role AI may or may not play in cybersecurity.

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, exhibited, sponsored, and organized this conference!

UPCOMING IADC EVENTS