US-based PassiveLogic, a developer of autonomous control technology for built environments, has launched a platform that uses a physics-based digital model to manage building systems without depending on pre-programmed control sequences.
PassiveLogic calls the release Level 3 Autonomy, or L3. The designation comes from the company’s own building-autonomy scale, adapted from the Society of Automotive Engineers’ framework for automated vehicles. It is not an independently administered building-industry rating.
The platform predicts changes in demand and adjusts connected systems to manage occupant comfort, energy consumption and building operations. PassiveLogic is targeting buildings, data centres and industrial infrastructure.
The company claims L3 is the first platform for generalised autonomous control of buildings and infrastructural robotics. It said the technology is operating in live environments.
Digital model replaces fixed control sequences
Conventional building automation largely depends on rules programmed for individual equipment and operating conditions. L3 bases its decisions on what PassiveLogic calls a World Model.
The digital model identifies equipment and describes its purpose and behaviour. It also maps how building systems, occupants and other assets interact.
L3 uses the model to predict how a building will respond before changing equipment settings. PassiveLogic said this provides a traceable alternative to conventional controls, enabling operators to see why an action was taken.
“Today, buildings around the world are undergoing a fundamental shift, from operational liabilities to active contributors, functioning as part of the workforce,” said PassiveLogic CEO Thomas Kiessling.
“We’ve moved autonomy from theory into deployment in live environments, something the industry has anticipated for years.”
Hive hardware runs controls at the building
PassiveLogic’s wider platform includes its Hive controller, which runs the company’s Quantum digital twins at the building. The controller makes decisions locally and provides an on-site touchscreen interface.
Hive Mini controllers can connect to rooftop HVAC units, actuators, IoT devices and equipment with packaged controls. Supported protocols include BACnet/IP, BACnet/IPv6, BACnet/SC and Modbus TCP. Plug-in modules add BACnet MS/TP, Modbus RTU and 1-Wire support.
Users can produce a building model by importing existing information, drawing it through PassiveLogic’s software or scanning a space with its LiDAR-based Lens iOS application. The resulting Quantum digital twin can be carried from system design through commissioning and operation.
Level 4 autonomy scheduled for 2026
PassiveLogic plans to introduce Level 4 Autonomy later in 2026. The company said the next release would add learning at the edge and lengthen the system’s prediction horizon.
L3 is powered by NVIDIA. PassiveLogic has been a member of NVIDIA’s Inception programme for start-ups since 2019.
PassiveLogic’s investors include NVentures, Prologis Ventures, Addition, Johnson Controls, noa, Brookfield Growth, G2 Venture Partners and Keyframe Capital.
