Applied Computing
Category: AI in Climate / Energy
Building a vertical foundation model (Orbital) for oil, gas, and petrochemical plant operations using physics-grounded AI Applied Computing was founded in 2023. The company is led by Callum Adamson. Based in London, United Kingdom. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $31.3M. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include KBR, Databricks Ventures, Stride.VC, Repeat.vc.
- Founded
- 2023
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Team size
- 101-500
- Total funding
- $31.3M
Value proposition
Orbital is the first foundation model built specifically for energy operations, combining physics-grounded intelligence with time-series forecasting, chemical engineering models, and language understanding to help operators optimize entire facilities in real time
Products and solutions
Orbital — a multi-foundation AI platform combining time series model (sensor data forecasting), physics-based model (mass/energy balance, reaction kinetics), and language model (chemical engineering knowledge, P&IDs, SOPs), deployed on-edge for real-time optimization of entire facilities
Unique value
Only foundation model purpose-built for energy operations that combines physics grounding with AI — achieving 90% outperformance vs state-of-the-art software, analyzing 100% of available facility data (vs 8% traditional), 75% cost reduction vs cloud AI alternatives, with sub-10-week payback period
Target customer
Oil & gas operators (upstream, downstream refining, petrochemical), energy companies, industrial plant operators
Industries served
Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals, Refining, Energy (LNG, wind, hydro), Ammonia production
Technology advantage
Proprietary multi-foundation model architecture integrating time-series, physics-based, and language models; trained on real operational data from live industrial deployments (not simulated); physics-constrained predictions ensure physical validity; on-edge deployment preserves data sovereignty; assembled AI research team from Imperial College London
How they differentiate
Unlike competitors' narrow point solutions or general-purpose AI, Orbital is a unified foundation model that connects dots across an entire plant, combining physics, chemistry, and language understanding in one platform. Speed advantage: compresses investigations from days/weeks to minutes. Customer traction: double-digit millions ARR in under 18 months from stealth
Main competitors
AspenTech (simulation & AI modeling), AVEVA (physics-based process simulation), Cognite (industrial data analytics), Seeq (time series data analytics), Honeywell (process automation), Emerson (process automation)
Key partnerships
KBR (strategic investor, multi-year JDA, INSITE 3.0 integration, board seat), Databricks Ventures (investor + technology), Wipro (strategic deployment partnership), AWS (cloud infrastructure), Capgemini (joint go-to-market), Kongsberg Digital (digital twins), NVIDIA (AI hardware), Imperial College London (research)
Notable customers
One of the largest oil refineries globally (undisclosed), major US upstream operator (undisclosed), ammonia production with KBR, partnership with European oil major (announced 2026), Wipro (strategic partner)
Major milestones
2023: Company founded, 2024: Stealth deployments, 2025-05: £9M seed round (one of largest UK AI seed rounds), 2025-10: Strategic partnership with Kongsberg Digital, 2025-12: Bengaluru office opened, 2026-03: KBR strategic investment + board seat + multi-year JDA, 2026-03: KBR launches INSITE 3.0 powered by Orbital, 2026-07: $20M Series A led by KBR with Databricks Ventures, 2026-07: Houston office opened, 2026-07: Double-digit millions ARR achieved
Growth metrics
Double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in under 18 months from stealth; doubled team size since Jan 2025; 75% cost reduction for clients vs cloud AI alternatives; 90% outperformance vs benchmarked SOTA software; sub-10-week payback period
Market positioning
Vertical-specific foundation model leader for industrial energy operations, competing against both established industrial software giants (Honeywell, Emerson, AspenTech) and pure-play industrial AI startups (Cognite, Seeq)
Geographic focus
Global — HQ London (UK), operations hub Bengaluru (India), US office Houston (Texas), expanding into Middle East
About Callum Adamson
Ex-CEO of Distributed (venture-backed tech startup); AI/ML Expert in Residence at Imperial College London; 20-year serial entrepreneur in venture-backed technology sector
Latest news about Applied Computing
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Official website: https://appliedcomputing.com