Exclusive: Honeywell Technologies launches a ‘brain behind the building’ with Nvidia and Dell. Its CTO says humans will run it for now

Honeywell Technologies has unveiled a new AI platform called Forge Cognition, built in collaboration with Nvidia and Dell. The platform offers three modes of operation: manual, semi-autonomous, and autonomous. However, Honeywell's CTO, Suresh Venkatarayalu, has not activated the autonomous mode yet. In an interview with Fortune, Venkatarayalu revealed that people will remain in control for the next two to three years.

The platform is designed to run various building systems, including heating, cooling, security, and power. Venkatarayalu emphasized that the agents will advise operators, and the operators will decide on the final actions. The AI agents and digital twins are designed to work in tandem with existing systems, coordinating actions autonomously.

The platform aims to reduce unnecessary alarms by up to 90% and identify potential energy efficiency savings of around 10%. Operators can check and confirm the agents' decisions, allowing them to learn and trust the system over time. Forge Cognition is touted as a "brain behind a building," providing a digital replica of the building for operators to interact with and understand its performance and trends.

Traditional building automation relied on sensors collecting data and operators responding. The new system adds "think" and "learn" capabilities, where AI models interpret sensor data, and operator feedback helps improve the models over time.