A digital initiative designed to bring fresh ideas to subsea operations has gained important backing from the leading trade association for the UK offshore energy industry, OEUK.
Tide Breaker brings together AI technology providers and offshore energy operators to turn promising artificial intelligence into tools the industry can put to work. Launched last year by Aberdeen-based subsea software company Elementz, it gives start-ups the real offshore data, expert feedback and industry insight they need to develop practical, reliable tools, while giving operators early influence over the solutions they will come to rely on.
The challenges start-ups work on are set by the operators themselves. Through Compass, Elementz’s operator advisory group, they have defined five priority areas where AI could make the biggest difference offshore: spotting the early warning signs of damage before equipment fails, forecasting how subsea assets will degrade over time, using AI to monitor and respond to live inspection data, automating routine engineering work, and building systems that learn from every inspection. Start-ups then develop against these real challenges rather than guessing at what the market needs.
By working with start-ups early, operators can influence solutions before they reach the market. This means tools are designed for real workflow integration, built for adoption, and better able to improve safety, efficiency and performance both on and offshore.
Following a rigorous selection process, the programme’s first cohort was announced earlier this year with a second round of applications set to launch soon and aiming to cast the net even further.
Now, Tide Breaker has been endorsed by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) the not-for-profit membership organisation that seeks to engage, inform and champion the industry and its workforce. The alignment recognises Tide Breaker’s central role in fast-tracking solutions that will transform subsea operations by powering AI adoption within the sector.
Commenting on the support of OEUK, Elementz CEO Jason Brown said: “Tide Breaker is the structured route into the Blue Digital Ecosystem that we need to develop if we are to correctly grow the intelligence needed to support the world’s growing subsea infrastructure and co-create value for all stakeholders.
“Across traditional and emerging energy, linear subsea assets and defence and critical infrastructure there needs to be an environment of cohesion that moves away from the traditional ‘build-demonstrate-deploy’ approach that can fail and create trust, reality and adoption gaps. Instead, Tide Breaker powers the next wave of subsea innovation by promoting an ethos of ‘participate-validate-integrate’ through shared ownership, continuous learning and co-creation.
“This endorsement by OEUK is significant because it formally demonstrates that the industry recognises the value of bringing innovative ideas together with the people who will use them, underlining the need to work together to unlock potential. It is a further extension of the collaborative ethos of Tide Breaker that will deliver practical solutions to support the industry’s future.”
Laure Mora, OEUK’s Business Transformation & Growth Manager, said: “Tide Breaker helps suppliers by giving technology providers a credible route into the market, with access to real operational challenges, data and user feedback so their solutions are validated before deployment. It helps operators and developers by giving them direct influence over what gets built, reducing the risk of tools that do not fit real workflows or subsea conditions. For both parties, the initiative creates a shared ecosystem where innovation is integrated, trusted and easier to adopt rather than developed in isolation.”
As well as being backed by Compass, The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI, is supporting Tide Breaker by advising on programme design, participant selection and helping to ensure robust, well-governed delivery. With ONE Digital Tech also supporting, Tide Breaker will benefit from connections into the region’s wider entrepreneurial ecosystem and help ensure the programme drives impact at scale.
To find out more visit: www.elementz.digital
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