In early 2021, Americans living on the East Coast got a sharp lesson on the growing importance of cybersecurity in the energy industry. A ransomware attack hit the company that operates the Colonial Pipeline--the major infrastructure artery that carries almost half of all liquid fuels from the Gulf Coast to the eastern United States. Knowing that at least some of their computer systems had been compromised, and unable to be certain about the extent of their problems, the company was forced to resort to a brute-force solution: shut down the whole pipeline. Leo Simonovich is vice president and global head of industrial cyber and digital security at Siemens Energy. The interruption of fuel delivery had huge consequences.

However, most companies don't have the resources to implement sophisticated AI programs to stay secure and advance digital capabilities on their own. Irrespective of size, available budget, and in-house personnel, all energy companies must manage operations and security fundamentals to ensure they have visibility and monitoring across powerful digital tools to remain resilient and competitive. The achievement of that goal is much more likely in partnership with the right experts. MIT Technology Review Insights, in association with Siemens Energy, spoke to more than a dozen information technology (IT) and cybersecurity executives at oil and gas companies worldwide to gain insight about how AI is affecting their digital transformation and cybersecurity strategies in oil and gas operating environments. Energy sector organizations are presented with a major opportunity to deploy AI and build out a data strategy that optimizes production and uncovers new business models, as well as secure operational technology. Oil and gas companies are faced with unprecedented uncertainty--depressed oil and gas prices due to the coronavirus pandemic, a multiyear glut in the market, and the drive to go green--and many are making a rapid transition to digitalization as a matter of survival.

Siemens Energy will supply new controllers and other major upgrades as part of an extended service agreement for a Dubai power plant. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed Siemens to a new, 20-year long-term service agreement. The service term calls for a wide array of upgrades and supply of new technologies. Among those, Siemens Energy will supply an intelligent controller for each of the four SGT5-4000F gas-fired turbines at the Jebel Ali L2 power and water station. This includes the SPPA-T3000 control system, as well as services for the plant's generators and tools to improve operational flexibility and reduce outage times.