Applied Computing, founded in 2023, has developed Orbital, a foundation model for oil, gas, refining, and petrochemical facilities. The startup targets a market where facilities with thousands of sensors measuring temperature, pressure, velocity, and viscosity currently utilize less than 8% of available data for operating decisions. Orbital combines a time series model, a physics-based model, and a language model to analyze sensor readings while accounting for equipment constraints and operator activity.
The company claims Orbital can flag anomalies, investigate their causes, and model potential ripple effects from proposed fixes within minutes, compressing investigations that previously took days or weeks. Applied Computing has gone from stealth to double-digit millions in annual recurring revenue in under 18 months. Its partners include Wipro and KBR, which integrated Orbital into its INSITE 3.0 digital platform and is using it for ammonia production. The startup is also working with a major U.S. upstream operator and plans to announce a partnership with a European oil major soon.