ExxonMobil says three of its Permian rigs now drill with robotic pipe handling, and about half its Permian fleet will by 2028
ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods spoke on the company's third quarter earnings call on October 30th, 2026. He said the company has three automated drilling rigs in operation in the Permian and is the only operator there using them. He said the company expects automated rigs on about 25% of its Permian fleet next year and approximately half by 2028. The company says robotic arms and systems can now do much of the heavy pipe handling. That work once put workers beside moving machinery on the rig floor. It expects similar staffing levels on automated rigs. Reuters reported in August that the company runs more than 30 drilling rigs in the Permian. It placed one automated rig in Midland, where a gate around the drilling floor marks it a restricted area. Helmerich & Payne said on October 7th, 2026 that it expects to deploy seven additional FlexRobotics systems for ExxonMobil over the next 12 months, bringing the total operating to nine. The company calls the safety benefit a potential and gives no measured injury figure. None of the sources describes these rigs as artificial intelligence. They describe automation and robotics.
How to take part
There is no public process. The plan is a company statement, and questions about it go to ExxonMobil.
Where
1 county. In Midland.
Timeline
- decided
Helmerich & Payne announces seven more FlexRobotics systems for ExxonMobil over 12 months
- decided
ExxonMobil newsroom post on automated drilling in the Permian
- decided
Third quarter earnings call, three automated rigs in operation
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-11-06
Admitted on ExxonMobil's October 30th earnings call, its own post on automated drilling, the H&P release of October 7th and the Reuters account from Midland.
- 2026-11-10
ExxonMobil's earnings call transcript and the FlexRobotics release both still carry the passages on its automated Permian rigs.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
In the Permian, we’re the only operator currently using automated drilling rigs. We have three in operation today.ExxonMobil Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Primary source, the company · d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net
In the Permian, we’re the only operator currently using automated drilling rigs.ExxonMobil Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Primary source, the company · d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net
In addition to significantly improving safety, they are delivering some of the strongest drilling performance in our fleet.ExxonMobil Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Primary source, the company · d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net
We expect to expand their use to about 25% of our Permian fleet next yearExxonMobil Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Primary source, the company · d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net
about 25% of our Permian fleet next year and approximately half by 2028 — helping us continue to grow U.S. production safely and at a lower cost.ExxonMobil Third-Quarter 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Primary source, the company · d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net
ExxonMobil is scaling deployment across the Permian, with plans to automate more than half of its unconventional drilling rigs by year-end 2028.Technology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
Activities such as handling heavy drill pipe have historically required workers on the rig floor to operate close to heavy equipment and moving machinery. Now, mechanical arms and robotic systems can perform much of that workTechnology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
We believe this technology has the potential to eliminate roughly one-third of high-consequence drilling incidents.Technology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
We expect to maintain similar staffing levels on automated rigs, and we view the technology as a force multiplier, not a replacement.Technology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
We’ve contracted industry-leading drilling operators to help modernize our drilling fleet with advanced robotic systemsTechnology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
Recent demonstrations of H&P's FlexRobotics ® technology highlight what the future of drilling can look likeTechnology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
Automated rigs are just one of more than 50 technologies being deployed across ExxonMobil's Permian operationsTechnology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
our goal of increasing Permian production to approximately 2.5 million oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2030Technology and people driving the next generation of drilling in the Permian Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
We operate in the United States' largest oil-producing region, spanning West Texas and Southeast New Mexico.Permian Basin operations Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
We have the largest contiguous acreage position in West Texas. We currently operate in the Greater Midland and Trans-Pecos areas.Permian Basin operations Primary source, the company · corporate.exxonmobil.com
operates more than 30 drilling rigs in the Permian Basin, two of which are automated rigs with robotic equipment.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
two of which are automated rigs with robotic equipmentExxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
In rural west Texas where oil rigs and pump jacks dot the sparse flat landscape, an ExxonMobil contractor sits in a small office on a drilling rig, using controls on a screen to operate robotic machineryExxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
move tall steel pipes weighing roughly 2,000 pounds.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
This work would usually require human overseers standing on the rig floor, the most common location for accidents on a rig.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
The company installed its first automated rig, supplied by drilling contractor Helmerich & Payne, last year.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
It drilled two miles horizontally underground in a little over six daysExxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
in a little over six days, the third fastest time in Exxon's history.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
In the history of well drilling activity, about a third of significant injuries that occur happen on the rig floorExxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
Employees on the rig communicate with Exxon's central operations team in Houston to determine the precise movements the robotic system should make.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
Where workers would usually help move columns of drill pipe over two stories tall, robotic arms now position the pipes and connect them to a drill string.Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
An automated oil drilling rig operated by ExxonMobil in Midland, Texas, August 17, 2026. REUTERS/Sheila DangExxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
On one of Exxon's automated rigs in Midland, a gate surrounds the drilling floor with a sign reading "Red Zone: Restricted Area."Exxon turns to automated drilling in the Permian in push for higher oil output Journalism · ajot.com
H&P expects to deploy seven additional FlexRobotics® systems for ExxonMobil over the next 12 months, bringing the total number of systems operating to nine.H&P & ExxonMobil Expand Deployment of FlexRobotics Technology (news release) Primary source, the company · s25.q4cdn.com
Expanding the use of FlexRobotics® builds on what we’ve learned from our initial deployments and is another example of how we’re using automation to improve drilling performance.H&P & ExxonMobil Expand Deployment of FlexRobotics Technology (news release) Primary source, the company · s25.q4cdn.com
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
ExxonMobil chief executive Darren Woods spoke on the company's third quarter earnings call on October 30th, 2026. He said the company has three automated drilling rigs in operation in the Permian and is the only operator there using them. He said the company expects automated rigs on about 25% of its Permian fleet next year and approximately half by 2028. The company says robotic arms and systems can now do much of the heavy pipe handling. That work once put workers beside moving machinery on the rig floor. It expects similar staffing levels on automated rigs. Reuters reported in August that the company runs more than 30 drilling rigs in the Permian. It placed one automated rig in Midland, where a gate around the drilling floor marks it a restricted area. Helmerich & Payne said on October 7th, 2026 that it expects to deploy seven additional FlexRobotics systems for ExxonMobil over the next 12 months, bringing the total operating to nine. The company calls the safety benefit a potential and gives no measured injury figure. None of the sources describes these rigs as artificial intelligence. They describe automation and robotics.
Who decides it?
ExxonMobil decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
There is no public process. The plan is a company statement, and questions about it go to ExxonMobil. No dated public window is on the record. The deciding body is named and reachable.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers Midland County.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was decided on October 30th.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is October 7th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under land, water and permitting.
What sources back it?
Five sources back it. Four of them are primary.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on November 10th, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, ExxonMobil says three of its Permian rigs now drill with robotic pipe handling, and about half its Permian fleet will by 2028. Tracked since October 7th, 2026. Last verified November 10th, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0242/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0242.
Beat
Filed under Land, water and permitting, with every other decision on that beat.