PassiveLogic

Based in Salt Lake City, PassiveLogic is tackling the complexity and energy inefficiency of building management systems. The company was established in 2016 by CEO Troy Harvey and CTO Jeremy Fillingim. Harvey's background is in control and energy engineering, having previously run a firm that designed high-performance buildings. It was during this time he identified a significant gap between the designed potential and actual operational performance of these buildings, which sparked the foundational concepts for PassiveLogic. Fillingim brought extensive experience in hardware and software engineering from his time at Fusion-io, a data storage company. The two connected when Harvey's firm was hired to build a high-performance home for Fillingim, leading to discussions about the technological stagnation in the building automation market. This culminated in Fillingim first investing in, and then joining, PassiveLogic as a co-founder.

PassiveLogic is developing a platform for generalized autonomy, aiming to make building control systems truly autonomous. The company targets the commercial and industrial building sectors, serving building owners, operators, architects, and engineers with solutions for both new construction and retrofits. The business model appears to be centered on the sale of its hardware and software products, potentially including licensing or subscription fees for its software suite. A significant challenge PassiveLogic addresses is that buildings account for approximately 39-40% of global CO2 emissions and energy consumption, largely due to outdated and inefficient control systems. By implementing its technology, the company projects potential energy consumption reductions of up to 30%.

The core of PassiveLogic's offering is a complete ecosystem of products that work together to automate and optimize building operations. This ecosystem includes the Hive controller, an AI-powered, edge-computing hardware platform that acts as the building's brain. Another key component is Autonomy Studio, a software environment that allows users to create a physics-based digital twin of a building by simply drawing it, without needing programming expertise. This digital twin, defined by a new description language called Quantum, understands the physics and interconnections of the building's equipment. The Hive controller uses these digital twins to run real-time simulations and make predictive control decisions, autonomously managing systems like HVAC and lighting to optimize energy use and occupant comfort. The platform is further supported by sensors, such as the Sense Nano, which collect detailed environmental data. This integrated approach allows for installation in a fraction of the time required for conventional systems and paves the way for smarter, more efficient buildings and future smart city applications.

Keywords: autonomous building systems, generative autonomy, digital twin technology, building automation, smart buildings, HVAC optimization, energy efficiency, proptech, cleantech, building management systems, deep physics AI, Quantum digital twin, Autonomy Studio, Hive controller, commercial real estate technology, building energy reduction, smart infrastructure, IoT for buildings, building controls, facilities management technology, sustainable buildings, retrofit technology