As the oil and gas sector navigates rising cost pressures, operational complexity, and the energy transition, artificial intelligence is emerging as a critical intelligence layer across the value chain. From upstream exploration to downstream operations and market strategy, AI is reshaping how energy assets are discovered, optimized, maintained, and monetized.
Rather than incremental digitalization, the industry is moving toward data-driven, predictive, and increasingly autonomous systems. Advanced analytics, machine learning, and simulation technologies are enabling operators to improve recovery rates, reduce downtime, optimize capital allocation, and make faster, higher-confidence decisions in volatile market conditions.
FounderNest analyzed 414 companies actively operating at the intersection of AI and oil & gas, mapping an ecosystem that spans exploration, production, maintenance, reservoir management, and market intelligence. Together, these companies have raised $244.6B in disclosed funding as of February 2026, highlighting the strategic importance of AI as a core operating capability for the energy industry.
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Key market trends
AI adoption in oil and gas can be understood through six core subspaces, each targeting a different layer of industrial and commercial decision-making:
Exploration and Production Optimization
AI-driven analysis of geological and operational data to optimize drilling strategies, production efficiency, and resource extraction.
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
Advanced modeling and simulation techniques that improve recovery rates from mature or complex reservoirs.
Predictive Maintenance
Machine learning systems that anticipate equipment failures, reduce unplanned downtime, and lower maintenance costs across assets.
Reservoir Management
AI-powered reservoir modeling and simulation to support long-term production planning and recovery strategies.
Market Analysis and Forecasting
Data-driven tools for price forecasting, demand analysis, and strategic planning in volatile global energy markets.
Data Analytics and Visualization
Platforms that transform large, complex datasets into actionable insights and decision-ready visualizations.
Space snapshot
Based on FounderNest’s AI in the Oil and Gas Industry Smart Report (Feb 2026):
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Total companies analyzed: 414
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Total funding raised: $244.58B (publicly disclosed rounds)
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Companies with at least one disclosed round: 39%
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Median headcount: 31 employees
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Median company maturity: 11 years
Geographic funding distribution (HQ basis):
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United States: $161.35B, 201 companies, 334 rounds
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Europe: $40.1B, 80 companies, 125 rounds
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Asia: $43.01B, 75 companies, 50 rounds
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Canada: $57.63M, 26 companies, 20 rounds
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Africa, Australia, LatAm & Caribbean: Early-stage ecosystems with limited disclosed capital
The ecosystem combines large industrial incumbents and hyperscale technology providers with a broad base of startups and scale-ups focused on specialized AI applications.
Market momentum and evolution
The AI in oil and gas space shows steady company formation alongside accelerating capital deployment:
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Company growth:
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414 active companies
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4.1% CAGR in company count over the last 5 years
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3 new companies founded in 2025 within the surfaced cohort
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Funding evolution:
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$244.6B in total disclosed funding
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14.5% CAGR in funding over the last 5 years
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Capital increasingly concentrated in late-stage rounds and strategic investments
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Financing profile:
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Median of 2 rounds per funded company
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Median $27.1M raised per company
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Mix of venture capital, corporate investment, government grants, IPOs, and M&A
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Emerging innovators
Below is a curated list of companies highlighted in the report that are evolving how artificial intelligence is applied across exploration, production, reservoir intelligence, predictive maintenance, and decision support in the oil and gas industry.
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1. Tachyus
Tachyus is an AI-driven upstream optimization platform that combines physics-based modeling with fast machine learning to improve reservoir management and enhanced oil recovery. Its technology is widely used for waterflood and CO₂ EOR optimization, enabling operators to increase recovery, reduce capital intensity, and lower emissions through data-driven field development and production planning.
Headquarters: San Mateo, United States
Founded: 2013
Headcount: ~38 employees
Website: https://tachyus.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/tachyus
2. Maillance
Maillance builds cloud-native, physics-informed AI applications that help oil and gas operators optimize production, manage reservoirs, and reduce operational and environmental impact. Its oilfield.ai platform applies machine learning to field development, production optimization, and reservoir management, aligning operational performance with decarbonization goals.
Headquarters: Paris, France
Founded: 2017
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://maillance.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/maillance
3. Predico
Predico is a reservoir and production analytics company applying AI, machine learning, and data science to oil and gas operations. Through its cloud-based Advanced Flow Analytics platform, Predico supports reservoir behavior analysis, production forecasting, and operational decision-making for upstream teams.
Headquarters: Brisbane, Australia
Founded: 2020
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://predico.ai
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/predico
4. Drake AI – Productive Intelligence for Oil & Gas
Drake provides AI-driven infrastructure that unifies oil and gas data and accelerates technical workflows for geoscientists and petroleum engineers. Its platform applies machine learning, OCR, and domain-specific AI to exploration and production optimization, enabling faster decisions and lower operational risk.
Headquarters: United States
Founded: Not disclosed
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://drake.ai
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/drake-ai
5. RiseHill Data Analysis
RiseHill delivers AI and machine learning solutions for upstream analytics, digital transformation, and lifecycle efficiency in oil and gas. The company supports exploration and production teams with data analytics, visualization dashboards, and AI-driven insights across decarbonization, CCUS, and sustainability planning.
Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Founded: 2018
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://risehill.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/risehill-data-analysis
6. Embassy of Things
Embassy of Things develops an industrial IoT messaging and AI infrastructure platform that applies machine learning and generative AI to optimize industrial assets. In oil and gas, its solutions span drilling optimization, production optimization, reservoir characterization, simulation, and predictive maintenance.
Headquarters: San Diego, United States
Founded: 2018
Headcount: ~23 employees
Website: https://embassyofthethings.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/embassy-of-things
7. NeuEra Energy
NeuEra Energy applies AI- and ML-guided energy intelligence to exploration and production workflows, including reservoir characterization, geophysical analysis, production forecasting, and reserve estimation. The company operates across international basins, integrating AI into both technical and commercial decision-making.
Headquarters: Houston, United States
Founded: 2015
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://neueraenergy.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/neuera-energy
8. Gain.Energy
Gain.Energy operates an AI platform and marketplace of specialized AI agents designed specifically for oil and gas use cases. Its Upstrima AI Agents support enhanced oil recovery, reservoir performance optimization, and operational decision automation, signaling a shift toward modular, task-specific AI systems.
Headquarters: Hallandale Beach, United States
Founded: 2024
Headcount: 11–50 employees
Website: https://gain.energy
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/gain-energy
9. Phi OGRE
Phi OGRE develops AI-enabled industrial software for centralized remote operations in oil and gas. Its MES and CROH platforms deliver predictive analytics, optimization, dashboards, and business intelligence to support real-time operational visibility and decision-making.
Headquarters: San Diego, United States
Founded: 2024
Headcount: 1–10 employees
Website: https://phiogre.com
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/phi-ogre
Conclusion
As oil and gas operators face increasing pressure to improve efficiency, manage volatility, and transition toward more sustainable operations, AI is becoming a foundational layer of the industry’s digital operating model.
The shift is moving differentiation away from purely physical assets toward data, intelligence, and predictive decision-making, with AI systems embedded across exploration, production, maintenance, and commercial strategy.
With 414 active companies, $244.6B in disclosed funding, and consistent growth in adoption, AI in oil and gas is evolving from isolated analytics projects into a core pillar of how modern energy systems are designed, operated, and optimized.
To explore this space in more depth and identify the most relevant AI players for your strategy, a FounderNest Deep Dive can provide expanded visibility into companies, technologies, and investors shaping the future of intelligent energy operations.
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