Applied Computing, a London-based startup building a foundation AI model for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry, has raised a $20 million Series A led by engineering firm KBR, with Databricks Ventures participating. Founded in 2023, the company targets facilities where thousands of sensors measure temperature, pressure, velocity, and viscosity. Despite the wealth of data, fragmentation means operators make decisions using less than 8% of available data, according to co-founder and CEO Callum Adamson. The core challenge is combining sensor readings, engineering documentation, and physics/chemistry in real time.

Applied Computing’s model, called Orbital, is not a typical large language model. Instead, it combines a time series model, a physics-based model, and a language model to predict the state of a facility. It analyzes sensor readings while respecting physical and chemical constraints, equipment limits, and operator activity. Technicians can also run simulations of how a change in one part of a plant might affect the rest of operations. The company claims Orbital can flag anomalies, investigate their causes, and model whether a proposed fix would create problems elsewhere — all within minutes. Adamson says the product compresses investigations that once took days or weeks into seconds, helping operators reduce energy use while maintaining output.

That speed appears to have traction. Applied Computing says it went from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months. Orbital is in use at several large, publicly listed upstream oil and gas, downstream refining, and petrochemical companies, though the startup declined to name exact customer counts. Partners include Indian energy firm Wipro and KBR, which has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 platform and is using it for ammonia production. Adamson also mentioned a major U.S. upstream operator and a pending partnership with a European oil major.

The market is competitive. Incumbents like AspenTech, AVEVA, Cognite, and Seeq offer simulation, data analysis, and AI-powered modeling. Adamson argues that Applied Computing’s moat is not data or domain knowledge but its ability to hire top-tier AI researchers — a talent pool he believes Shell and similar companies cannot easily attract. He also noted that operational data from refineries is not publicly available, and simulated data cannot fully replicate real plant conditions, giving Orbital an advantage from its deployment data. The KBR partnership provides access to operational data, industry expertise, and customer introductions.

Applied Computing plans to use the $20 million to expand internationally, hire for research and engineering, and explore new deployments. It has opened an office in Houston, adding to its London headquarters and Bengaluru operational hub, with Middle East expansion in the works.