PassiveLogic, PNNL Partner to Continue Developing AI-Enabled Building Controls

Salt Lake City-headquartered company PassiveLogic has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to continue working on artificial intelligence-enabled predictive building controls.

The partnership will last for two years and will focus on the Superlearners machine learning technology, which enables autonomy for building applications. The company will use its platform to provide an application program interface for buildings, which would allow operators to automate functions such as heating, cooling and lighting.

PassiveLogic’s platforms allow users to develop their own applications with minimal programming and integration effort.

The Department of Energy will provide $1 million in funding to allow PNNL to make technology-related contributions, PassiveLogic said Monday.

Troy Harvey, the CEO and co-founder of PassiveLogic, said building automation is key to allowing governments to meet global decarbonization goals. He also shared that the company’s autonomous platforms for buildings and industrial systems can optimize operations in real-time.

Draguna Vrabie, a chief data scientist at PNNL, said the laboratory works with private sector partners because of their ability to provide data, market access and use-cases for R&D efforts. Vrabie also noted that the lab’s work with PassiveLogic will advance energy efficiency for commercial buildings.

In the early part of 2022, the company launched Quantum Alliance, a cooperative effort between public and private entities to promote full autonomy for building systems. The initiative received support from the Energy Department, PNNL and asset management company Brookfield.

PassiveLogic offers a single platform that allows building operators to create autonomous systems. It also makes digital twin solutions that allow users to understand infrastructures and their equipment, systems and occupants.