Patent applications related to robotics increased by 8% per year on average in the oil & gas industry since 2020  

The global oil & gas industry experienced an 8% increase in annual average growth rate (AAGR) in the number of robotics-related patent applications between 2020 and 2022.  

The total number of robotics-related grants increased by an AAGR of 26% during the same period, according to GlobalData's patent analytics database. 

Notably, the number of robotics-related patent applications in the oil & gas industry was 1,423 since 2020, while 806 applications were granted. 

Analysis of patent applications by assignee shows that Halliburton filed the most robotics patents within the oil & gas industry since 2020. The company filed 81 robotics-related patents since 2020. 

It was followed by Saudi Arabian Oil (65 applications), BASF (48 applications), Petroleo Brasileiro (38 applications) and Nabors Industries (37 applications). 

Analysis of patent grants by assignee shows that Saudi Arabian Oil was granted 53 patents related to robotics within the oil & gas industry since 2020. It was followed by China Petrochemical (30 grants), Halliburton (29 grants), China National Petroleum (15 grants) and LG (13 grants).

The largest share of robotics-related patent publications in the oil & gas industry since 2020 was held by China with 43%, followed by the US (22%) and Japan (8%).

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.   

GlobalData’s Patents Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official patent offices around the world. Proprietary analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.