Bengaluru, October 27, 2026: Honeywell Technologies (NASDAQ: HON) has introduced Forge Plant Cognition, an industrial AI platform developed with NVIDIA AI and Dell Technologies’ AI infrastructure, with its initial deployment at Dangote’s petroleum refinery in Lekki, Nigeria.
The platform aims to help refining, petrochemical and LNG operators enhance value from existing assets and transform plant operations. At the Lekki refinery, one of the world’s largest single-train refineries, Honeywell Technologies estimates that AI-enabled optimization through Forge Plant Cognition could deliver operational benefits of more than 29 cents per barrel. At full-capacity throughput, this could translate to over $60 million in gross benefit annually for the facility, according to preliminary data from the company.
AI-driven optimization and deployment
Forge Plant Cognition combines process technology expertise, industrial automation, and AI capabilities to help operators identify performance constraints, anticipate problems, and translate insights into actions that improve operational outcomes. Unlike conventional AI solutions, the platform integrates real-time operating data, engineering knowledge, and Honeywell Technologies UOP’s process expertise with physics-based models for more advanced optimization.
The platform is powered by Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA and supported by Dell Services. NVIDIA Nemotron open models enable agents to interpret operational data, while NVIDIA Omniverse libraries are used to create a digital twin of the plant for simulation-based training and planning. Additional NVIDIA Cosmos open models and the NVIDIA Metropolis VSS Blueprint support vision AI agents for real-time alerts and anomaly detection. The NVIDIA PhysicsNemo framework is used for building and fine-tuning physics AI models to support digital twin integrated plant optimization workflows.
Focus on operational improvement and workforce development
Dangote Petroleum Refinery will integrate its operating data with Honeywell Technologies’ AI-powered optimization to identify operational constraints, accelerate troubleshooting, and enable more informed decisions. The platform is also intended to support Dangote’s goal of developing a workforce that is 70% Nigerian by embedding specialized process knowledge into AI-powered tools, helping engineers and operators access expert guidance and build technical capabilities.
Rajesh Gattupalli, President of Honeywell Technologies UOP, said, “By collaborating with Dangote to launch Forge Plant Cognition, we are demonstrating how AI can help transform industrial operations, driving new levels of productivity, reliability and profitability at significant scale.”
David Bird, CEO and Managing Director of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE, said the company selected Forge Plant Cognition for its combination of industrial expertise and differentiated AI capabilities to optimize performance and develop local talent.
Ongoing partnership and refinery expansion
Honeywell Technologies and Dangote have collaborated for nearly a decade. The two companies recently announced a plan to help the refinery increase its capacity from 650,000 to 1.4 million barrels per day within three years by optimizing existing assets and accelerating market delivery.
Honeywell Technologies is a global automation company serving the building, industrial, and process sectors, with a workforce of more than 50,000 employees worldwide.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a press release provided by the concerned organisation and has been edited for style and clarity with the assistance of AI tools. BusinessFortnight does not verify, endorse, or take responsibility for the claims, figures, or statements made in the original release.
