With nearing 18 years at Devon, Trey Lowe has risen up through the ranks to land as the energy company’s chief technology officer just a bit shy of two years ago. He’s seen the industry shift, and he’s helping Devon shift with it.
“We’ve been adaptable,” Lowe said. “And I think that we will continue to change. We’re excited about some new partnerships we’re working on now. We’re working with a lot of new startup companies, and we’re going to continue to evolve and adapt.”
What technological advancements do you see for the energy industry in the next five years?
That’s a good question. I’m really bad at predicting the future. But what I see now is definitely the continuing application of artificial intelligence. I think it is one of the biggest things that is happening in all industries right now and, for sure, in ours as well. I think that will continue to grow over time. We will also see continued growth in using technology in our field operations to help our field operators to become more effective — so that’ll be everything from cameras to new sensors to allow field employees to always understand what’s going on with their locations.
How does technology drive innovation?
Technology drives a lot of our testing, and the most recent shift over the last four or five years is we’ve seen technology produce better applications, and those are the biggest shifts that are happening. The data that we have is richer than it has ever been, and so those companies that have collected a lot of the data — the data itself — is extremely valuable.
Devon is a major economic player in Oklahoma City. How does its role in the OKC economy impact its role in the community?
We are trying to help grow and foster startups. I think it helps the city and us create new products but also helps create an increased hiring base that is more vibrant. The entrepreneurial community in Oklahoma City has grown, but it’s still fledging and needs to grow more. We need to focus on supporting partnerships with specific organizations that help startups.
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