ENABLED EMISSIONS CAMPAIGN
Building governance for
AI-enabled fossil fuel expansion
ENABLED EMISSIONS CAMPAIGN
Enabled emissions are the additional greenhouse gases released when advanced technologies (AI, IoT, and high-performance/cloud computing) make fossil fuel production economically viable.
The Enabled Emissions Campaign works on one of the most consequential and least examined dynamics in climate and technology — building the research base, governance frameworks, and cross-sector coalitions necessary.
AI is reshaping the economics of fossil fuel supply
Across exploration, extraction, refining, and logistics, AI applications are lowering costs and sustaining the economic viability of otherwise marginal resources.
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Digital technologies can increase technically recoverable oil and gas resources by around 5% globally.
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AI-powered analysis identifies 470 billion to over 1 trillion additional barrels of recoverable oil in existing fields
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Goldman Sachs: AI could cut the cost of a new shale well by ~30% and lift recoverable U.S. shale reserves by 8–20% — equivalent to 10–30 billion additional barrels
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In the Permian, AI helped push break-even oil prices from over $90/barrel in 2012 to roughly $40 today
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At CERAWeek 2025, oil majors reported AI is enabling faster drilling and broader resource access: BP cut seismic analysis timelines by up to ~85%; Devon Energy reports a 25% improvement in well productive life
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AI holds potential to extend the shale era
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A single Microsoft–Exxon Permian contract may enable ~3.4 million tonnes of additional CO₂ annually
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Global AI software spending in the oil and gas market is forecast to increase 24.3% in 2024 to $1.5 billion and reach $2.9 billion by 2027
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Big Tech Helps Big Oil Pump More, Belying Climate Pledges by helping prolong the fossil-fuel age.
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Azure's AI services are automating drilling, optimizing reservoir simulation, and — with OpenAI integration — opening new frontiers in fossil fuel exploration and production
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A Microsoft engineer sent to Kazakhstan to help boost Tengiz field output from 600,000 to 1 million barrels per day.
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Greenpeace's 2020 'Oil in the Cloud' was the first major mapping of cloud providers' role in fossil fuel digitalization.
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Microsoft's 2019 partnership with ExxonMobil was announced as a tool to boost Permian production by up to 50,000 barrels per day.
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Exxon subsidiary depends on Microsoft Azure to maximize oil extraction across thousands of new wells and build dozens of new facilities
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Halliburton and Microsoft collaborate for more efficient oil and gas production, bringing more fossil fuels to market
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) is helping oil and gas companies to enhance exploration and increase production
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Google Cloud's partnership with Saudi Aramco includes services applied to oil and gas operations.
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Chevron is leveraging Microsoft’s AI to improve extraction rates, increasing fossil fuels produced
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BP migrated its operations to AWS, citing efficiency gains across exploration and production.
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The digital drill: How big oil is using AI to speed up fossil fuel extraction
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Amazon Web Services (AWS) could be making $9.6 billion annually from the oil and gas industry alone — about 10% of AWS revenue.
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92% of oil and gas companies are either currently investing in AI or plan to in the next two years.
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Some of the world’s richest oil and gas companies are using AI to accelerate fossil fuel extraction.
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NVIDIA Promotes AI for Brazilian Oil and Gas on Eve of COP30
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TotalEnergies forms AI partnership with French startup Mistral
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One of Tech’s Cleanest Companies, Autodesk, Is Making Tools for Coal Mines and Oil Drills
We’re working to align technological progress with climate science
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Research
Building the quantitative evidence base and identifying governance gaps
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Advocacy
Advancing smart policies, market design, governance, and incentives
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Mobilization
Building the cross-sector constituency this issue currently lacks
Our work