Helmerich & Payne will deploy seven additional FlexRobotics systems for ExxonMobil over the next 12 months, bringing the operator's total fleet of the automated rig-floor technology to nine units across H&P rigs.

The order builds on the first two FlexRobotics systems already running on H&P rigs for ExxonMobil, which the companies describe as successful initial deployments. ExxonMobil is now scaling the technology across its drilling operations as part of a broader push to automate its entire drilling program.

What does the expansion cover?

The seven new systems will roll out over the next 12 months. H&P frames the order as a milestone in an ongoing collaboration with ExxonMobil focused on three targets: drilling automation, safety, and operational performance.

FlexRobotics automates repetitive rig-floor activities. According to H&P, the technology reduces personnel exposure to higher-risk tasks while improving consistency, precision, and operational efficiency. The system sits within H&P's broader automation portfolio, which the drilling contractor positions as a route to safer, more reliable, and more efficient drilling for customers.

What the companies said

H&P President and Chief Executive Officer Trey Adams tied the order directly to automation's value proposition: "Expanding the deployment of our FlexRobotics technology demonstrates the value automation can deliver in modern drilling operations. We are pleased to expand our collaboration with ExxonMobil and to help scale FlexRobotics technology across their operations."

Bart Cahir, Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil Unconventional, framed the scale-up as a learning outcome from the initial two-unit deployment: "We are focused on expanding the deployment of technologies that make our operations safer, more efficient and more consistent. Expanding the use of FlexRobotics builds on what we have learned from our initial deployments and is another example of how we're using automation to improve drilling performance."

Cahir's role signals where the technology will concentrate: ExxonMobil's unconventional drilling programs, which have been the primary proving ground for automated drilling systems among US shale operators.

Why rig-floor automation keeps expanding

The order fits an industry-wide pattern. Operators and drilling contractors continue to push automation onto the rig floor to remove crews from the red zone during pipe handling and other repetitive, higher-risk tasks. Each additional system deployed also generates performance data that vendors and operators use to refine control algorithms and standardize execution across fleets.

For H&P, the ExxonMobil commitment roughly quadruples the FlexRobotics footprint with a single customer within a year of the first two deployments — a pace that suggests the initial units met the performance and safety thresholds ExxonMobil set before approving a broader rollout.

The watch item

The rollout schedule. Seven systems in 12 months means roughly one new deployment every seven weeks on average. Watch for H&P to disclose further operator commitments as the ExxonMobil fleet scales — and for ExxonMobil to report measurable drilling-performance gains from the nine-unit fleet once the deployments mature.