Applied Computing Raises $20M to Build Plant-Wide AI for Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals

Applied Computing, a London-based startup founded in 2023, has raised a $20 million Series A led by engineering giant KBR, with Databricks Ventures participating. The company is building a foundation AI model for oil, gas, refining and petrochemical systems. The funding places Applied Computing in the middle of a growing push to apply AI to complex industrial operations.

Applied Computing’s model, called Orbital, is designed to predict the state of a facility by combining a time series model, a physics-based model and a language model. The company says Orbital analyzes sensor readings while accounting for physics, chemistry, equipment constraints and operator activity. It also lets technicians simulate how a change in one part of a facility could affect the rest of operations.

Applied Computing is targeting facilities that can have thousands of sensors measuring variables such as temperature, pressure, velocity and viscosity. CEO Callum Adamson told TechCrunch that facilities make operating decisions using less than 8% of the data available to them because sensor readings, engineering documentation, physics and chemistry are difficult to combine quickly. The company’s pitch is speed: Orbital can flag anomalies, investigate causes and model potential fixes within minutes, according to Applied Computing.

Applied Computing says it has gone from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months, and that Orbital is used by some large, publicly listed upstream oil and gas, downstream refining and petrochemicals companies. Its partners include Wipro and KBR, which has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 digital platform and is using it for ammonia production. The startup faces established industrial software and AI-focused rivals, including AspenTech, AVEVA, Cognite and Seeq. Applied Computing plans to use the funding to expand internationally, hire research and engineering talent and explore more energy deployments, while adding a Houston office to its London headquarters and Bengaluru operational hub.