Superintelligence for Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals: Callum Adamson - Co-Founder and CEO, Orbital
AI in ManufacturingShow Notes
The first foundation model purpose-built for refining and petrochemicals?
Here's the thing.
The oil, gas, and petrochemical industry is under pressure like never before.
⇨ Demand is set to double in 15 years ⇨ Facilities are shutting down ⇨ Energy transition is colliding with operational cost realities
At the same time, companies are being told AI will solve it all.
But here’s the truth.
Most AI was built for the internet, not industrial plants. ❌ It can’t explain its decisions ❌ It hallucinates ❌ It’s fragile with messy, real-world data ❌ It struggles with incomplete time series and unstructured reports
Now apply that to a refinery running 24/7, filled with volatile compounds and extreme conditions.
And you start to see the problem.
AI that can’t be trusted is worse than no AI at all.
That’s why Callum Adamson and his team built Orbital. The first foundation model designed specifically for refining and petrochemicals.
Instead of trying to stretch general-purpose AI into high-consequence environments, Orbital is: ✅ Purpose-built ✅ Physics-aware ✅ Production-grade
But more importantly, it takes a Tri-Modal Architecture that combines the following into federated intelligence: 1. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 – For signals and sensor data 2. 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 – For real-world grounding 3. 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 – For intuitive interaction and explanation
In the latest episode of the AI in Manufacturing podcast, I sat down with Callum, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of Applied Computing, to discuss the application of Superintelligenece in Oil, Gas, and Petrochemicals.
More from AI in Manufacturing
AI Is Reshaping Industrial Software. Who Wins? | Michael Finocchiaro Will AI simply make established industrial software better, or will it fundamentally change which companies dominate the market? In this episode of AI in Manufacturing, I sit down with Michael Finocchiaro, founder of ThreadMoat Intelligence, to explore how AI is reshaping the competitive landscape of industrial technology, where AI-native startups are challenging established vendors, and what the industrial software market could look like over the next five years. We go beyond the competitive landscape to examine how the underlying technology architecture is evolving, from increasingly composable software and AI-driven orchestration to the changing roles of traditional systems like MES and PLM. In this episode, we explore: Why AI-native startups are challenging established industrial software vendors and where incumbents still have an advantage. How AI is changing traditional industrial software categories, including MES, PLM, and manufacturing data platforms. Why composable architectures and AI agents could fundamentally change how industrial systems are integrated and orchestrated. How manufacturers should think about data ownership, interoperability, and vendor lock-in when evaluating emerging technologies. What the industrial software landscape could look like in five years, including the evolving roles of AI agents, knowledge graphs, and human decision-making. Michael brings a broad perspective from tracking industrial technology startups, interviewing founders, and analyzing emerging trends across engineering and manufacturing software. Whether you're building industrial software, investing in emerging technologies, or shaping your organization's manufacturing technology strategy, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on the shifts already underway and what they could mean for the industry. Learn more: Industry40.tv: https://www.industry40.tv
# AI in Manufacturing Podcast
# AI in Manufacturing Podcast — Show Notes ## Episode: Scaling Industrial Intelligence with the I3X Common API
# AI in Manufacturing Podcast: Episode Show Notes
**Podcast Name:** AI in Manufacturing Podcast **Episode Title:** How to Build AI Solutions That Actually Work on the Factory Floor **Guest:** Renan De Villiers, Founder & CEO, OSS Ventures **Host:** Kudzai Manditereza