Applied Computing raises $20 million for refinery AI from KBR and Databricks

Applied Computing has raised $20 million in Series A funding to expand its physics-based AI software for refineries, LNG terminals and petrochemical plants. KBR led the round and Databricks Ventures joined as a new investor, extending commercial relationships both companies already had with the London startup.

The company did not disclose its valuation, revenue or headcount. Applied Computing said the capital will support international expansion, further development of its AI research team and broader commercial deployment with global energy operators.

Orbital targets live plant operations

Applied Computing was founded in London in 2023 by CEO Callum Adamson and chief AI officer Dr Samyakh “Sam” Tukra, an Imperial College London graduate. Tukra leads development of Orbital, the company’s foundation model for energy operations. Several early AI team members also came from Imperial College London.

The company describes Orbital as a system that combines physics modelling, chemical engineering, time-series forecasting and language models. Its intended use is real-time operational optimisation in refineries, petrochemical sites, LNG facilities and renewable assets including wind and hydro. Applied Computing says Orbital is already being used at one of the world’s largest oil refineries, though it has not named the customer.

The bet is that heavy industrial operators will pay for AI that can work inside complex legacy systems and make recommendations they can audit. That is a narrower and harder market than general enterprise AI, and one where procurement cycles and safety requirements tend to slow adoption.

KBR moved from partner to lead investor

KBR had already invested in Applied Computing in March 2026, taken a board seat and signed a multi-year development agreement. That relationship produced INSITE 3.0, KBR’s digital delivery platform, which runs on Orbital.

The companies have also signed a multi-year agreement to build exclusive AI products for the energy sector. Applied Computing said it expects to announce a partnership with a European oil major, but did not provide a name or timing.

KBR chief digital and development officer Greg Conlon said the investment supports KBR’s applied AI strategy and could help scale analytics and project delivery tools across its licensed technologies. Databricks’ director of energy and utilities, Julien Debard, said Databricks had worked with Orbital before investing and had seen operators move from testing to operational use on the platform.

Industrial AI funding remains active

The Series A follows Applied Computing’s £9 million seed round in May 2025, which was led by Stride.VC with Repeat.vc. The company is based in London, has an operational hub in Bengaluru and recently opened an office in Houston as part of its expansion.

Applied Computing sits in a field that includes PhysicsX, another London company that has raised about $155 million for engineering simulation across sectors including aerospace, automotive and semiconductors. Cognite, based in Norway, is building industrial AI tools including time-series foundation models for oil and gas monitoring. Applied Computing is pitching itself closer to operational decision-making inside plants than design simulation or fault detection.

MarketsandMarkets valued the simulation and industrial AI software market at $19.95 billion in 2024 and projected it would reach $36.22 billion by 2030, a 10.4% compound annual growth rate.

Applied Computing also claims that deploying Orbital in 55 refineries could reduce emissions by 1.1% of global emissions, more than the UK’s 0.8% share. The company’s calculation has not been independently verified, and the fundraising announcement did not provide the operating baseline behind that projection.

This story draws on original reporting from TechFundingNews.