ADNOC Drilling is investing more in automating its drilling processes so it can pull people out of hazardous zones and reduce the number of workers on its rigs.

The UAE national oil company subsidiary expects to invest approximately $1 billion in AI and technology in the coming year, its chief financial officer told Semafor, building on the roughly $1 billion spent to date.

Despite Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf, Youssef Salem said drilling operations have not been materially affected and the company expects to surpass $5 billion in revenue this year, exceeding last year’s record. It is also expanding into new markets through partnerships, prioritizing plays in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman where governments are planning to boost output capacity. He remained silent, however, on the question of whether ADNOC Drilling would be open to doing business in Iran at some point.