Johnson Controls unveils AI-powered OpenBlue platform expansions for increased efficiency and rapid implementation

• OpenBlue architecture is now AI-native, turning facilities into intelligent buildings, and includes enhanced cybersecurity features.
• Energy & Comfort Intelligence, part of the OpenBlue digital ecosystem, helps facility teams reduce wasted energy and improve comfort by reducing energy use related to building air circulation by nearly 10%.
• Addition of Agentic AI capabilities proactively surfaces insights, recommends actions and automates workflows.
• Onboarding and implementation time reduced by up to 95%.
• New developer portal expands access to AI-ready data through open application programming interfaces (API).

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 5, 2026 – Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency and decarbonization, today announced new AI capabilities in its OpenBlue digital ecosystem to help building owners reduce energy use, automate building operations and cut operating costs. The expanded platform includes: Energy & Comfort Intelligence, an AI-enabled capability that helps optimize how air flows through buildings; an agentic AI assistant; and a new AI-native architecture where data is classified and labeled according to industry-standard models, making it easier to connect information across equipment, systems and software applications.

Energy & Comfort Intelligence cuts airside energy use without compromising occupant comfort

Part of the OpenBlue digital ecosystem, Energy & Comfort Intelligence focuses on one of the biggest and often overlooked drivers of energy use in buildings: airside systems. Powered by Nantum AI, the new feature uses AI algorithms to deliver efficiency recommendations and enhanced control across these systems, including air handling units, fans and other air circulation equipment. Enhanced AI control is especially critical for industries requiring precise indoor operating conditions like life sciences, hospitals, research universities, and advanced manufacturing facilities for products such as batteries and semiconductors, where consistent temperature, pressure and humidity matter most.

“The new OpenBlue Platform changes what a building can do on its own. It brings AI-driven efficiency and autonomous control across the full digital ecosystem, including airside for the first time,” said Jamie Cameron, Vice President and General Manager, OpenBlue at Johnson Controls. “Energy & Comfort Intelligence is one example: it tunes air handling continuously against real conditions, cutting energy waste while giving facility teams unprecedented control.”

Financial software company DATEV, for example, implemented Energy & Comfort Intelligence and reduced airside energy use by nearly 10% on applicable equipment. The system operated autonomously, executing thousands of dynamic, data-based automated commands and decisions for each piece of equipment. As an additional benefit, the company’s facility team did not receive a single comfort complaint, demonstrating that autonomous control can achieve substantial energy savings without impacting occupant comfort.

“OpenBlue Energy & Comfort Intelligence exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited to expand its use to more of our facilities,” said Marco Ringer, Plant Engineering Planner at DATEV. “We look forward to working with Johnson Controls to continue cutting our energy use with better control.”

OBI Agentic AI accelerates facility operations

OpenBlue now includes OBI (short for OpenBlue Intelligence), an agentic AI assistant that proactively surfaces insights, makes recommendations and executes approved workflows, all while keeping humans in the loop. Facility teams can easily access data through text or spoken interactions across occupancy, air quality, equipment performance, energy use and more. The tool goes beyond providing data, allowing teams to automate routine operational tasks, like placing work orders and prioritizing maintenance, ultimately improving productivity and speeding up response time.

Reduced onboarding from months to days

Across OpenBlue solutions, new automated onboarding processes use sophisticated algorithms to automatically find devices and points and place them in the appropriate category, reducing implementation times by up to 95%. In complex facilities with thousands of data sources across a large building or multi-building campus, this reduces implementation times from months to days. Data is structured and assigned clear meaning, connecting raw information to specific equipment and actions to allow sophisticated connections in a variety of interfaces.

Developers can now access updated, AI-native architecture

The updated data foundation is AI-ready and aligned to industry-standard models for ease of integration and faster access to insights. For technical customers and partners that use their own applications for workplace convenience and sophisticated portfolio management, the new OpenBlue platform API also enables organizations to seamlessly pull data into apps they use today and leverage the vast quantities of data their buildings produce for key insights.

Enhanced cybersecurity features through OpenBlue Airwall

Easier access to data can be paired seamlessly with enhanced cybersecurity features. OpenBlue Airwall offers zero-trust architecture that isolates devices through segmented networks and restricts access to critical assets, reducing the attack surface and limiting exposure to external threats. Remote users and devices are required to prove their identity before any initial connection. Once authenticated, an encrypted tunnel is created between devices to support complex, rapid building-to-building connections between individual devices rather than broad access to entire networks. When external vendors provide remote service, access is limited to only the devices and times necessary to further reduce risk.

With increased implementation speeds and greater control that draws on decades of building and software expertise, the OpenBlue AI-powered digital ecosystem helps customers deliver precise control and enhanced visibility across complex facilities while cutting energy use in a time of rising energy costs. Research conducted by Forrester demonstrated that OpenBlue can deliver up to 155% ROI for customers, showcasing the impact of leveraging AI for facility operations and efficiency.

For more information, visit openblue.johnsoncontrols.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Ben Hoekstra

Direct: +1 414 630 0482

Email: media@jci.com

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About Johnson Controls:

Johnson Controls, a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonization, helps customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions, and operate with the precision and resilience required in rapidly expanding industries such as data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and higher education.

For more than 140 years, Johnson Controls has delivered performance where it really matters. Backed by advanced technology, lifecycle services and an industry-leading field organization, we elevate customer performance, turn goals into real-world results and help move society forward.

Visit johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnsoncontrols on social platforms.