Annual Report and Sustainability Report 2021

ABOUT KONGSBERG

Next Generation Solutions

Kongsberg Digital

Kongsberg Digital (KDI) works to digitise the world’s industries. The company, which was established in 2016, delivers next-generation software and digital solutions to complex industries, including the maritime, oil and gas, processing and renewable energy sectors. KDI possess leading domain and digital expertise, and all our products and solutions are built on secure data infrastructure that provides access to reliable data. With KDI’s digital solutions, industries have the opportunity to streamline processes, reduce emissions and increase operational security.

"This year we really consolidated our position as a market leader"

Hege Skryseth – President, Kongsberg Digital

KDI is present in 6 countries and has approx. 700 employees.


Vessel Insight and Kognifai Marketplace – a digital ecosystem for shipping companies

Demand for KDI’s “ship-to-cloud” solution Vessel Insight increased throughout 2021. The maritime industry is facing enormous pressure to evolve in order to meet ever more stringent global sustainability requirements. Reduced emissions, complex reporting processes and stricter safety requirements are factors that vessel owners must comply with. At the same time, they are operating in an extremely competitive industry where streamlining is necessary in order to compete. Digitisation is one solution to these challenges, and the market has really opened its eyes to its potential. In addition to being a data infrastructure, Vessel Insight gives access to an ecosystem of applications and solutions for energy efficiency, maintenance, market insights, compliance etc. These are available to the customer at the KDI marketplace, Kognifai Marketplace.

Collectively, Vessel Insight enables customers to connect ships to the cloud, retrieve data for use in analyses and develop or download value-creating applications on top. In 2021, KDI signed a number of new agreements with vessel owners, such as Olympic Subsea, Island Offshore, Güngen, Marinvest, the Norwegian Coastal Administration, Höegh Autoliners and Dorian LPG (Denmark). In addition, the company has entered into a number of agreements with marketplace application partners, including ABS, ABB Tekomar, Marine Benchmark, Vessel Performance Solutions, Zegaba and Bunkermetric.

Through the cloud solution Vessel Insight and Kognifai Marketplace, shipping companies have access to an ecosystem of applications and solutions for factors including energy efficiency, maintenance, market insight and compliance.

Kognitwin Energy – a dynamic digital twin for the energy industry

Kongsberg Digital’s market-leading digital twin solution for the energy sector, Kognitwin Energy, is an advanced digital twin. In addition to providing insight, it provides solutions that can significantly reduce operating costs, and improve and streamline work processes. This may in turn lead to increased oil and gas production. By providing an accurate overview of energy resources, Kognitwin Energy is a key tool for optimising operations and reducing emissions from industrial plants.

With hybrid analytics, it is possible to perform continuous testing of various operating scenarios, predict adverse events and ensure production optimisation. This provides flow and process simulators, assembled by dynamic data from automation. With Kognitwin Energy, it is also possible to ensure the automation of processes, control complex plants remotely and achieve a higher degree of autonomy in process control systems.

Demand for Kognitwin Energy increased during 2021. During the past year, KDI signed an agreement with ExxonMobil to install and evaluate Kognitwin at one of its facilities in Guyana. Kognitwin®Energy is used when “Norske Shell” creates a virtual representation of the deepwater gas field Ormen Lange. Together with the digital twin solution on land, developed at Nyhamna processing plant, the two twins will be the world's first fully integrated twin solution from reservoir to market. This will be the first fully integrated twin to span the entire process from upstream to downstream.

Another key contract is the agreement with The Metals Company for the development of a digital twin for 3D visualisation of deepwater environments. In the autumn of 2021, KDI also entered into two new strategic partnerships with Data Gumbo and FutureOn, respectively. In addition, KDI has a number of ongoing “proof of concept” (POC) agreements where the customer will test and evaluate Kognitwin on individual installations.

Kongsberg Digital’s market-leading digital twin solution for the energy sector, Kognitwin Energy, is an advanced digital twin that provides insight and improves and streamlines work processes.

SiteCom – real-time visualisation of drilling operations in the cloud

With SiteCom, KDI supplies a software product for data acquisition and the visualisation of drilling operations in real time, as well as applications for operations analysis and advanced decision support. SiteCom’s cloud solution gives users easy access to real-time data from different locations, rigs and suppliers. KDI also supplies solutions that increase production efficiency using real-time simulators for design, multi-phase flow and operator training. These systems collectively offer drilling operators much improved well safety and greater efficiency during the drilling process. In 2021, KDI signed contracts with companies including the Brazilian drilling contractor Ocyan and extended its cooperation with Aker BP.

In order to achieve the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there will be an increased degree of electrification in the transport sector and the use of new energy sources. This will put a great deal of pressure on an already stretched and ageing power grid. Rather than expanding the network, a more efficient solution is to utilise digital twins, enabling accurate and data-driven real-time insight to enable operators to anticipate specific needs, implement network-balancing measures and prevent power outages. There is, therefore, considerable potential in the market for digital solutions for the power sector.

The launch of Kognitwin Grid, a digital twin for the power grid, was thus an important milestone in KDI’s focus on the power industry. Kognitwin Grid builds on KDI’s work on digitisation of the energy sector and a multi-year research project in which KDI has worked with Microsoft, SINTEF and a number of Norwegian power companies. After completion of the research project in 2021, the power companies BKK Net and Tensio each signed an R&D agreement for the further development and testing of Kognitwin Grid.

In addition, KDI and its project partners have received funding from the Research Council, Enova and Innovation Norway for a two-year project that aims to make better use of existing grid capacity through the use of flexibility. The flexibility system will be based on KDI’s digital twin for the power industry, Kognitwin Grid. 

Digital twins provide an accurate and data-driven insight into the power grid. This means that power companies can anticipate specific needs, take action, survey capacity in the network and prevent power outages.

Maritime simulation – maritime simulation and education

Kongsberg Digital has market-leading simulator solutions that ensure the authentic and thorough training of students and staff in the maritime, marine and offshore markets. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of educational and training institutions, 2020 and 2021 were challenging years for this part of the business. After the easing of restrictions during 2021, demand is increasing, and KDI has entered into a number of new contracts to supply simulators to existing and new customers worldwide. The development and introduction of cloud-based simulator solutions provides an opportunity to expand the market and also strengthens the existing product portfolio. 

These simulator solutions are also used for verification and decision support, for example in preliminary studies and research projects within design, security and cost optimisation, as well as in the development of autonomous vessels and maritime digital twins.

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