Motive Drilling Technologies

About Motive Drilling Technologies

Motive Drilling Technologies, a company operating in the oil and gas drilling sector, was established to develop a decision-automation platform for drilling operations. Founded in 2011 and previously known as Hunt Advanced Drilling Technologies, the company originated from an incubator program at Hunt Energy Enterprises. Todd Benson, the CEO, collaborated with Hunt Energy Enterprises President Victor Liu to create the company, which secured Series A funding in 2016 from investors including Formation 8 and GE Ventures. This culminated in its acquisition by Helmerich & Payne (H&P) in June 2017 for an initial $75 million, with potential for an additional $25 million based on performance.

The company's core offering is the Motive Directional Drilling Bit Guidance System, a platform that utilizes cognitive computing and machine intelligence to automate and optimize the directional drilling process for horizontal wells. This system provides drillers with real-time, turn-by-turn instructions, analyzing millions of potential steering options to determine the optimal path. The algorithm considers the economic consequences of drilling decisions, aiming to lower costs by increasing drilling efficiency and reducing risks associated with borehole tortuosity. By improving the accuracy of well placement, the technology is designed to enhance hydrocarbon production. The platform also functions as a secure, collaborative tool, allowing the entire well construction team, whether on-rig or in remote operation centers, to monitor and manage drilling activities.

Motive Drilling Technologies serves exploration and production (E&P) operators and directional drilling service providers. The technology was designed to be available to any operator, regardless of the drilling rig contractor they use. Before its acquisition, the technology had been proven on over 200 horizontal wells. Following the acquisition by H&P, a major contract drilling company, Motive continued its operations based in Dallas, Texas, with the goal of scaling its technology across a larger fleet and advancing automation in the industry.