Applied Computing raises $20M to build AI model for oil & gas plants
Original: Applied Computing wants to give oil and gas operators an AI model for the entire plant
Why This Matters
Demonstrates growing enterprise AI adoption in heavy industry, targeting a historically data-underutilized sector.
London-based Applied Computing raised a $20 million Series A led by KBR, with Databricks Ventures participating, to expand its foundation AI model Orbital, which analyzes sensor data, physics, and engineering docs in real time for oil, gas, and petrochemical facilities.
Applied Computing, founded in 2023 in London, has closed a $20 million Series A round led by engineering firm KBR, with Databricks Ventures also participating. The startup builds Orbital, a foundation AI model designed specifically for oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical operations. CEO Callum Adamson says facilities currently use less than 8% of available sensor data when making operating decisions, due to difficulty integrating sensor readings, engineering documentation, and physics/chemistry models in real time. Orbital combines a time series model, a physics-based model, and a language model to predict facility state and flag anomalies — compressing investigations that previously took days into minutes. The startup reports it has grown from stealth to double-digit millions in ARR in under 18 months. Customers include large publicly listed upstream and downstream companies. Partners include Wipro and KBR, which has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 platform for ammonia production. Applied Computing also plans to announce a partnership with a European oil major soon. Competitors include AspenTech and AVEVA, which offer established industrial simulation and AI modeling software.