Digital Twins Move From Pilots to Pipelines

Pipeline operators are embracing digital twins as software platforms mature and asset data finally comes together

25 Oct 2025

Digital twins are moving closer to routine use in pipeline operations as companies look to manage ageing networks with more precise, data-driven tools. Once confined to small pilots, the technology is increasingly being adopted to give operators a single view of assets that links “what was built” with how systems perform in real time.

The shift reflects a broader push by pipeline integrity and operations teams to improve safety and efficiency while meeting tighter oversight expectations. Adoption still differs by operator and asset type, but the direction of travel is becoming clearer as industrial software platforms mature.

A central requirement is the integration of trusted asset information, including engineering drawings, equipment specifications and maintenance records, with live operational data from sensors and control systems. That convergence was highlighted in October 2025, when industrial software group AVEVA announced enhancements to its Asset Information Management and PI Data Infrastructure products. The updates, delivered through its CONNECT platform, were positioned as a foundation for scalable industrial digital twin applications across the asset lifecycle.

For pipeline operators, the appeal lies in how integrity risk is assessed. Potential failures are rarely evident in a single dataset. A credible digital twin brings together inspection histories, repair records, current operating conditions, geohazard data and asset configuration. Used together, these sources can help teams spot anomalies earlier, focus field inspections and plan maintenance with greater accuracy.

The economic case is also strengthening. Much of the US pipeline network is ageing, while full replacement remains costly. By improving the timing and targeting of interventions, digital twins can help extend asset life and shift integrity decisions away from fixed schedules towards risk-based approaches. Improved digital records can also support regulatory engagement, where documentation, traceability and demonstrable risk management are increasingly scrutinised.

Obstacles remain. Integrating legacy systems, ensuring data quality and establishing clear governance frameworks can slow deployment, as can organisational resistance to new ways of working. Even so, recent platform-level improvements in unifying operational data with asset context are lowering these barriers.

As a result, digital twins are becoming less a long-term ambition and more a practical capability for improving pipeline reliability, safety and performance.