Heating and lighting buildings requires a vast amount of energy: 18% of all global energy consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. Contributing to the problem is the fact that many buildings' HVAC systems are outdated and slow to respond to weather changes, which can lead to severe energy waste. Some scientists and technologists are hoping that AI can solve that problem. At the moment, much attention has been drawn to the energy-intensive nature of AI itself: Microsoft, for instance, acknowledged that its AI development has imperiled their climate goals. But some experts argue that AI can also be part of the solution by helping make large buildings more energy-efficient.

BrainBox AI announced its agreement with the Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Limited (BAC) to expand its revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) technology across multiple precincts of Brisbane International Airport. This follows a successful trial of BrainBox AI's technology in a select area of the Brisbane Airport property (BNE). The results yielded from the pilot were significant with a 12% decrease in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system energy usage, 17% reduction in building equipment run-time, and zero comfort-related customer complaints during the six-month pilot. These impressive results bolstered BAC's confidence in BrainBox AI's core product, enabling the AI's installation in other areas of the airport. Brisbane Airport Corporation, the operator of Brisbane Airport (BNE), is committed to 2030 Sustainability Targets to address carbon, energy, water, and waste impacts. Derek Boo, Head of Asset Optimisation of Brisbane Airport Corporation, spoke about the airport's approach to innovation.

August 24, 2021 – Congratulations to Montreal-based start-up BrainBox AI, which is one of 10 companies--and the only Canadian company, it says--selected to present at COP26's "Tech for our planet" program, an initiative at the upcoming 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. BrainBox was selected by the U.K. government to display its technology in Challenge 3–Thinking Smart, which is dedicated to solutions that can capture and share data to better predict and manage energy consumption. In the three months leading to COP26 (being held in November in Glasgow), BrainBox will demonstrate the benefits of grid-interactive buildings to achieve net zero objectives for the electrical grid. "By implementing technologies like BrainBox AI in one of the world's greatest energy consumers--buildings--we can turn the tide and help the real estate industry play its part in stopping the effects of climate change," said Sam Ramadori, president, BrainBox AI. Currently installed in over 100 million sf of real estate across 17 countries, BrainBox's flagship product combines AI and cloud computing to create a fully autonomous commercial HVAC solution that reduces energy consumption and emissions.

A lot of energy is consumed by buildings. In fact, the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit energy efficiency advocacy group, says buildings account for about 40% of all U.S. energy consumption and a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. Some estimates suggest about 45% of the energy used in commercial buildings is consumed by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, of which, as much as 30% is often wasted. Most power companies these days have energy efficiency programs that help customers identify waste and implement energy-saving measures, but there are also non-utility providers working on solutions. Montreal, Canada–based BrainBox AI is one of them. It's using artificial intelligence (AI) to significantly reduce energy consumption in buildings.

The inventions in Artificial Intelligence are thriving the pace of invention despite the existing pandemic. The year 2020 has surprised humans in many ways. From encountering a pandemic, addressing a global recession, and witnessing the global geopolitical changes, humanity is standing in ambiguous times. However, not everything is uncertain. Throughout the year, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, and augmented/virtual reality, amongst others have spearheaded innovation with a promising future. These technologies have validated that despite the crisis, technology will transform the world.

The inventions in Artificial Intelligence are thriving the pace of invention despite the existing pandemic. The year 2020 has surprised humans in many ways. From encountering a pandemic, addressing a global recession, and witnessing the global geopolitical changes, humanity is standing in ambiguous times. However, not everything is uncertain. Throughout the year, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, and augmented/virtual reality, amongst others have spearheaded innovation with a promising future.

October 28, 2020 – "It has been a wild year," says Montreal-based Brainbox AI's president, Sam Ramadori. When the company launched in May 2019, it had just shy of 20 people, and worked on six development buildings totalling half a million square feet. "Today, we're in over 30 million, and with the commitment here, getting us over 40 million installed square feet." The commitment to which Ramadori is referring is that of AMP Capital in Australia, which is set to roll out Brainbox AI's energy-saving AI technology--which promises a reduction of carbon footprint by 20-40% and 15-20% in energy spend--across its entire managed real estate portfolio of central business district (CBD) office buildings, retail shopping centres and logistics facilities. Six AMP Capital-managed buildings across Australia are already trialling the technology, which will then be rolled out across the entire portfolio of over 40 buildings in Australia and New Zealand by Q1 2021. "We have a very young team, of very highly-capable technical folks, and they're all driven, not only by the truly autonomous solution, but we can really make a strong impact on climate change… but the only way to do that is to be able to scale quickly," said Ramadori, referring to the solution's ease of deployment.

The AI engine supports a self-operating building that requires no human intervention. What inspired you to launch BrainBox AI? My journey into HVAC technology began while working on energy efficiency projects throughout North America and Europe. During this stage of my life, I dealt with the technology in a plethora of buildings. These were buildings of different sizes and purpose, anything from hotels all the way to data centers. It quickly became apparent to me that continuous commissioning approaches would generate consistent energy savings but would require extensive amounts of both financial and human capital.