Applied Computing, a London-based startup founded in 2023 that builds a foundation AI model for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry, has raised a $20 million Series A led by engineering giant KBR, with Databricks Ventures participating. The startup targets oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical systems, where facilities make operating decisions using less than 8% of the data available to them, according to co-founder and CEO Callum Adamson. Its foundation model, Orbital, combines a time series model, a physics-based model, and a language model to predict the state of a facility by analyzing sensor readings, keeping physics and chemistry in mind, and recognizing equipment constraints and operator activity. Applied Computing claims Orbital can flag anomalies, investigate causes, and model proposed fixes within minutes, compressing investigations that previously took days or weeks into seconds. The startup says it has gone from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months. Partners include Indian energy company Wipro and KBR, which has integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 digital platform and is using the product for ammonia production. Adamson said the startup is also working with a “major U.S. upstream operator” and plans to announce a partnership with a European oil major in the coming weeks.