Honeywell Technologies has launched an artificial intelligence-powered industrial optimisation platform at Nigeria’s Dangote refinery, in a collaboration involving Nvidia and Dell Technologies that could generate more than $60mn in annual operational benefits at full capacity.
The platform, known as Forge Plant Cognition, will initially be deployed at Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, one of the world’s largest single-train refineries, as the Nigerian energy group seeks to increase production, improve efficiency and reduce its reliance on foreign technical expertise.
Honeywell estimates that the technology could generate more than 29 cents in gross operational benefits for every barrel processed, potentially delivering annual gains exceeding $60mn when the refinery reaches its full operating capacity.
The projections are preliminary and exclude implementation costs. Honeywell cautioned that actual benefits would depend on factors including refinery utilisation, crude oil characteristics, operating conditions, product margins and the effectiveness of the technology’s deployment.
The initiative comes as Dangote pursues an ambitious expansion of its refining operations, with plans to increase processing capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4mn barrels per day within three years.
AI-driven refinery operations
Forge Plant Cognition combines Honeywell’s industrial automation systems and refining expertise with Nvidia’s AI models and Dell’s computing infrastructure.
The platform is designed to analyse operational data, identify production bottlenecks, anticipate equipment failures and recommend adjustments that could improve output and profitability.
Unlike conventional industrial monitoring systems, which largely provide operational alerts and performance reports, Honeywell says the technology integrates real-time data with engineering calculations and physics-based models to support more sophisticated decision-making.
Rajesh Gattupalli, president of Honeywell Technologies UOP, said industrial facilities offered substantial opportunities to improve performance through advanced digital technologies.
He said the deployment at Dangote demonstrated how AI could improve productivity, reliability and profitability across complex industrial operations.
The system is built on Honeywell’s Forge Cognition technology and incorporates Dell AI Factory infrastructure powered by Nvidia.
Nvidia’s Nemotron models will support AI agents designed to interpret refinery data, while its Omniverse technology will enable digital simulations of industrial processes.
The platform will also use Nvidia Cosmos models and Metropolis technology to detect operational anomalies, alongside PhysicsNeMo tools for developing AI models that simulate physical processes.
These capabilities are intended to help refinery engineers evaluate potential operating changes before implementing them, reducing the risk of disruptions and improving resource utilisation.
Dangote seeks higher output and efficiency
For Dangote, the deployment represents another step in its efforts to improve refinery performance as it expands its position in Africa’s petroleum industry.
The Lekki facility, which has a nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is a central component of Nigeria’s strategy to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products.
The refinery’s management expects AI-assisted optimisation to help identify inefficiencies across interconnected processing units, accelerate troubleshooting and improve the reliability of production.
David Bird, chief executive and managing director of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, said the company selected Honeywell’s technology to combine specialised industrial knowledge with advanced AI capabilities.
He said the investment would support the refinery’s efforts to improve operational performance while strengthening technical expertise among Nigerian employees.
The companies have maintained a relationship spanning nearly a decade, with Honeywell also involved in Dangote’s plans to expand refining capacity.
The proposed increase to 1.4mn barrels per day would more than double the facility’s existing nameplate capacity, although the expansion remains a target rather than completed additional capacity.
Developing Nigerian engineering expertise
Beyond potential financial gains, the project is intended to support Dangote’s workforce development strategy.
The company aims to build a workforce comprising 70 per cent Nigerian employees, reducing its dependence on expatriate specialists as its operations expand.
Honeywell said Forge Plant Cognition would embed specialised refining knowledge into AI-powered workflows, allowing local engineers and plant operators to access technical guidance and resolve operational problems more efficiently.
The system is expected to support training and knowledge transfer by making complex engineering expertise available through digital tools.
For Dangote, the investment could help address one of the challenges associated with operating large-scale industrial facilities in emerging markets: developing sufficient domestic technical capacity to maintain sophisticated production systems.
However, the extent to which the technology will improve workforce productivity and reduce reliance on external expertise will depend on its implementation and the refinery’s training programmes.
Industrial AI gains momentum
The partnership reflects growing efforts by industrial technology companies to extend artificial intelligence beyond administrative and analytical applications into physical production environments.
Refining, petrochemical and liquefied natural gas facilities are particularly attractive targets because small improvements in throughput, energy consumption and equipment reliability can translate into substantial financial benefits.
Honeywell is positioning Forge Plant Cognition as a platform capable of combining industrial data, automated analysis and engineering models to support operational decisions across these sectors.
Its collaboration with Nvidia and Dell also illustrates how technology companies are seeking to integrate AI infrastructure with established industrial automation systems.
For Dangote, the immediate test will be whether the platform can deliver measurable efficiency improvements as the refinery increases production and pursues its expansion plans.
Honeywell’s projected $60mn in annual gross benefits represents a potential outcome rather than a guaranteed return, with actual results dependent on operating conditions, implementation costs and the refinery’s eventual throughput.
The companies did not disclose the cost of deploying the platform or a timetable for achieving the projected financial benefits.
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