Applied Computing, a London-based startup developing a foundational AI model tailored for the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors, has secured $20 million in Series A funding. The round was led by engineering giant KBR, with participation from Databricks Ventures. Founded in 2023, the company focuses on systems within oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical operations, where a single facility may be equipped with thousands of sensors tracking variables like temperature, pressure, velocity, and viscosity.

While there is a substantial market for helping energy companies manage data tracking challenges, fragmentation poses a major obstacle. As a result, facilities make operational decisions using less than 8% of the data available to them, according to Applied Computing’s co-founder and CEO Callum Adamson (pictured above, right). Operators already collect much of this information, he noted, but struggle to integrate sensor readings, engineering documentation, and physics and chemistry data quickly enough for analysis and prediction. "It’s getting those three data sources to talk to each other in real time," Adamson explained.

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 forecast a facility’s state. It achieves this by analyzing sensor readings while accounting for physics and chemistry, as well as recognizing equipment constraints and operator activities. The system also enables technicians to run simulations of how a change in one part of a facility might affect overall operations.

At its core, Applied Computing emphasizes speed. The company claims Orbital can detect anomalies, investigate their root causes, and model whether a proposed fix might create issues elsewhere in the facility—all within minutes. Adamson asserts that the product can compress investigations that once took days or weeks into seconds, helping operators reduce energy consumption while maintaining output. This promise of speed appears to have attracted believers. The startup reports that it has moved from stealth mode to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months.

Adamson said Orbital is currently in use at several "large, publicly listed" upstream oil and gas, downstream refining, and petrochemical companies, though he declined to specify the number of customers. Its 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. The startup is also collaborating 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 market with entrenched industrial software providers and more specialized AI startups. AspenTech offers simulation and AI-powered modeling software for upstream, refining, and chemical operations, while AVEVA provides physics-based process simulation, optimization, and "what-if" modeling for industrial plants. Cognite and Seeq focus on the data layer, helping facilities analyze industrial data and apply AI to design workflows. Adamson argues that the company’s competitive advantage lies not in access to industrial data or process knowledge, but in assembling AI researchers to build a model that can rival 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."

Adamson also highlighted the operational data Orbital receives through its deployments. Data from refineries and other energy facilities is generally not publicly available, he noted, while simulated data cannot fully replicate conditions inside a working plant. The KBR partnership may further bolster the company. Adamson said the deal provides Applied Computing with access to operational data, industry expertise, and introductions to more potential customers.

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