Applied Computing builds AI model for entire oil and gas plants

A London-based startup that’s building a foundation AI model for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry has secured $20 million in Series A funding. The round was led by engineering giant KBR, with participation from Databricks Ventures.

Founded in 2023, Applied Computing focuses on the complex systems found in oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical facilities. A single plant can house thousands of sensors tracking everything from temperature and pressure to velocity and viscosity. While there is a massive opportunity to help energy companies manage this data, fragmentation across sensor readings, engineering documents, and physics-based models creates a significant barrier.

Because of this disconnect, facilities make operating decisions using less than 8% of the data they collect, according to co-founder and CEO Callum Adamson. Operators already capture most of this information, but they struggle to combine sensor data, engineering documentation, and physics and chemistry principles quickly enough to analyze and make predictions.

“It’s getting those three data sources to talk to each other in real time. That’s the real key,” Adamson told TechCrunch.

Unlike large language models that predict the next word, Applied Computing’s foundation model, Orbital, combines a time series model, a physics-based model, and a language model to predict a facility’s state. It analyzes sensor readings while accounting for physical and chemical constraints, equipment limitations, and operator activity. Technicians can also run simulations to see how a change in one part of the facility might affect the entire system.

Orbital’s key advantage is speed. The company claims it can flag anomalies, investigate their root causes, and model whether a proposed fix could cause issues elsewhere , all within minutes. Adamson says the product can compress investigations that once took days or weeks into seconds, helping operators cut energy use while maintaining output.

That promise has attracted believers. The startup says it has gone from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months. Adamson noted that Orbital is in use at several “large, publicly listed” companies across upstream oil and gas, downstream refining, and petrochemicals, though he declined to specify the exact number of customers.

Partners include Indian energy firm Wipro and KBR, which has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 digital platform for energy projects and is using the product for ammonia production. Adamson also said the startup is working with a “major U. S. upstream operator” and plans to announce a partnership with a European oil major in the coming weeks.

Still, Applied Computing enters a competitive market with entrenched industrial software suppliers and focused AI startups. AspenTech sells simulation and AI-powered modeling for upstream, refining, and chemical operations. AVEVA offers physics-based process simulation and optimization. Cognite and Seeq target the data layer, helping facilities analyze industrial data and apply AI to workflows.

Adamson argues that the company’s moat isn’t access to industrial data or process knowledge. Instead, it’s the ability to assemble AI researchers to build a model that can compete with Orbital.

“It’s an AI problem. It’s not a data problem, and it’s not an energy problem,” he said. “If you’re a tier-one AI researcher, where are you going to work? … I don’t think Shell’s on that list.”

He also pointed to the operational data Orbital receives through its deployments. Refinery data is generally not available publicly, and simulated data cannot fully replicate the conditions inside a working plant.

The KBR partnership could further strengthen the company. Adamson said it provides access to operational data, industry expertise, and introductions to potential customers.

Applied Computing plans to use the $20 million to expand internationally, hire for research and engineering roles, and explore new deployments with energy clients. The company also announced it has opened an office in Houston, adding to its London headquarters and Bengaluru operational hub. Adamson said the U. S. base brings the startup closer to two existing North American customers, and an expansion into the Middle East is underway.