Nvidia buys into autonomous buildings software PassiveLogic
PassiveLogic’s mission is to create a suite of generative design tools that sit on top of digital twins to revolutionise the way we plan, install, and operate controlled systems in the built environment.
PassiveLogic adds Nvidia to its broad coalition of backers, which includes building-asset owners, equipment manufacturers, and venture investors such as Addition, Brookfield, Keyframe, RET, Era, and A/O Proptech. To date, the company has raised more than $80m.
The PassiveLogic autonomous platform software enables architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners to automate systems in a fraction of the time of previous solutions, while bringing on-premises intelligence to buildings to meet operational requirements and growing environmental, social and governance goals of asset owners.
PassiveLogic’s products are built on a new type of technology stack for differentiable computing, using the Quantum digital twin standard, that enables users to quickly compose neural networks, without prerequisite training. PassiveLogic’s AI framework unifies system code, training, and inferencing into a single paradigm, claiming to work orders of magnitude faster than industry benchmarks like TensorFlow. The company’s compiler technology is being open sourced on Apple’s Swift software developer tools.
PassiveLogic was founded in 2016 and is still in development stage.
Troy Harvey, CEO of PassiveLogic and architect of the Quantum standard, framed the milestone this way: “To solve complex, compute-intensive problems like autonomous systems we created the first ‘industrial-grade AI’ platform, that takes us beyond research-centric deep learning, enabling compile-time, type checked, heterogeneous models that we can deliver into the hands of regular people.”
PassiveLogic is leading the building controls industry with practical solutions that democratise automation. For example, the company’s Hive control platform is 10 times faster to install than conventional automation solutions.
The Hive — a ‘brain for buildings’ — unites sensors, IoT, and controllable equipment with an edge-based autonomy engine built on the Quantum digital twin standard. The entire platform is built on Quantum digital twins from the ground up. The company runs its advanced technology on the Nvidia Jetson edge AI and robotics platform and is a member of Nvidia Inception, a programme that nurtures startups.
Mohamed ‘Sid’ Siddeek, head of Nvidia’s NVentures team, commented: “PassiveLogic has a vision to revolutionize the real estate industry through autonomous operations at the edge. They have a world-class team with deep industry and technical expertise that’s preparing to launch a highly differentiated solution with their initial customers.”
To fuel its leadership in the autonomous system technology space, PassiveLogic plans to collaborate with Nvidia on digital twins, GPUs, and compiler technology. Harvey said: “Buildings use 41% of the world’s energy. To make these buildings more efficient, we built a technology stack that generalises autonomous control, making it usable for the folks applying these technologies every day.”
Nvidia, founded in 1993, makes graphics processing units for computers that enable high-performance functions, used widely used in construction and engineering. In 2022 Nvidia turned over $26bn. The business employs 22,000 people.
