Applied Computing, a London-based startup developing a foundation AI model for the oil, gas, and petrochemical sector, has raised a $20 million Series A led by engineering firm KBR, with participation from Databricks Ventures. Founded in 2023, the company targets facilities that often operate using only a small fraction of the sensor data available to them, according to co-founder and CEO Callum Adamson, who said the core challenge lies in integrating sensor readings, engineering documentation, and physics-based analysis in real time.
The company’s foundation model, Orbital, combines time series modeling, physics-based modeling, and language modeling to predict a facility’s operational state, identify anomalies, and simulate how proposed fixes might affect other parts of a plant, compressing investigations that once took days into minutes. Applied Computing said it has scaled from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months, with customers including large publicly listed oil and gas companies.
KBR has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 platform for ammonia production, and the company also partners with Wipro. Adamson said the startup’s advantage lies in assembling strong AI research talent rather than proprietary data access. The new funding will support international expansion, including a newly opened Houston office alongside existing operations in London and Bengaluru.
Featured image: Credit: Applied Computing
