KBR Invests in Applied Computing to Accelerate AI Innovation

The partnership aims to deploy advanced AI solutions across energy and industrial markets.

Mar. 23, 2026 at 10:18am

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KBR, a global engineering and construction firm, has announced a strategic investment in UK-based Applied Computing. The companies will integrate Applied Computing's proprietary Orbital foundational AI model with KBR's licensed process technologies and domain expertise to develop new digital products and expand AI capabilities across KBR's global technology portfolio. The investment strengthens KBR's commitment to delivering advanced, explainable AI solutions that improve operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

Why it matters

The partnership between KBR and Applied Computing represents a significant step forward in the energy and industrial sectors' adoption of advanced AI technologies. By combining their respective strengths, the companies aim to unlock new opportunities for operational optimization, project delivery, and the development of next-generation technologies across the full energy lifecycle.

The details

As part of the investment, KBR has secured a board position in Applied Computing. The companies have also entered into a multi-year joint development agreement to co-create exclusive AI products for the energy sector. The integration of Applied Computing's Orbital foundational AI model with KBR's licensed process technologies and domain expertise will enable the deployment and development of new technologies across the full energy lifecycle, covering asset operations, capital projects, and the derisking of next-generation technologies.

  • The strategic investment was announced on March 23, 2026.

The players

KBR

A global engineering and construction firm that delivers science, technology, and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world.

Applied Computing

A UK-based company that builds Orbital, the first foundation model built specifically for energy operations, combining physics-grounded intelligence with models across chemical engineering, time-series forecasting, and language.

Greg Conlon

KBR's Chief Digital and Development Officer.

Callum Adamson

CEO of Applied Computing.

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What they’re saying

“We're very excited about what this technology could unlock across the full lifecycle for multiple industries, and we're thrilled to make this investment in Applied Computer to spur future technologies.”

— Greg Conlon, KBR Chief Digital and Development Officer

“It's our mission to provide operators with a foundation model that unlocks advantage at scale while delivering pathways to production that are safer, more efficient and far less carbon intensive. KBR is a natural fit for that mission. Their decades of data, industry domain knowledge and global reach mean we can now accelerate deployment of Orbital across the sector.”

— Callum Adamson, CEO of Applied Computing

What’s next

The partnership between KBR and Applied Computing is expected to accelerate the deployment of Orbital, Applied Computing's proprietary AI foundation model, across the energy and industrial sectors, enabling new innovations and operational optimizations.

The takeaway

This strategic investment highlights the growing importance of advanced AI technologies in the energy and industrial sectors, as companies like KBR and Applied Computing work to unlock new efficiencies, improve safety, and drive sustainability across the full lifecycle of critical operations and projects.