Japanese process automation specialist Yokogawa Electric has deployed agentic AI at a major gas facility of Aramco, the world’s largest integrated oil and gas company.

Yokogawa has implemented coordinated AI agents to control and optimise acid gas removal (AGR) operations at Aramco’s Fadhili Gas Plant in Saudi Arabia.

The solution has been introduced in three phases. Each has progressively optimised various sections until autonomous control of the core process in the AGR unit was achieved.

To ensure safety, Yokogawa first created a simulator of the plant to train AI agents, and then evaluated their reliability and validity. Subsequently, they were integrated with Yokogawa’s CENTUM VP integrated production control system to leverage the safety functions of the existing plant.

Implementation is currently undergoing a detailed evaluation. Initial results from Fadhili Gas Plant demonstrate a 10% to 15% reduction in its amine and steam usage, around 5% reduction in power usage, improved process stability, and a significant decrease in operator manual intervention, despite ambient condition changes.

“Aramco has embarked on an ambitious plan to unlock value by deploying a wide range of industrial AI applications across our operations,” said Khalid Y Al Qahtani, Aramco Engineering Services Senior Vice President. “The collaboration with Yokogawa is one of many initiatives that focus on improving efficiency, enhancing sustainability, and generating more value for our shareholders. It reflects how the company is harnessing advanced technology, including AI, to elevate its performance and reinforce its position as a technology leader in the energy sector. We look forward to building on this important milestone, as we explore further adoption of cutting-edge solutions that will contribute to a new era of industrial innovation.”

Kunimasa Shigeno, Director, President & CEO, and Representative Executive Officer of Yokogawa Electric, said: “We are honored that Yokogawa was entrusted by Aramco to implement such ground-breaking technology in one of its major facilities. We are very pleased that the results have already exceeded expectations. Yokogawa is advocating the transition from industrial automation to industrial autonomy (IA2IA), and this deployment proves that we are ready to lead the way towards safe and secure autonomous operations for plants in the energy sector.”