On the banks of the Savannah River with UAPs heading to Realcomm (not AI-generated, I saw them with my own eyes!)
ONE Cargo Ship from Tokyo, Japan, on the Savannah waterfront
Just before Realcomm 2025, I asked a question grounded in optimism: Would this year’s gathering reflect the change I’ve been seeing build across the industry, or fall back on polished talk without movement?
To my surprise and optimism, the industry leaders showed up ready and loaded. Not only was there less inaction, there was meaningful momentum: AI is being embraced, old silos are being questioned, and the urgency around open, structured, and accessible data is rising fast, even as the future remains as fuzzy and fast-moving as ever.
For starters Realcomm 2025 had an amazing wide screen!
This year’s buzz wasn’t just about systems talking to each other; it was about organizing knowledge in ways humans and AI can understand and act on. Open connections, machine-readable data, and contextual clarity quickly become the baseline. We’re not just unlocking tools. We’re unlocking new possibilities that many didn’t even know they could ask for.
Jim Young says, “We don’t have much more time to talk- what we need is action now.”
And perhaps most significantly, we’re seeing a significant shift: the C-suite is now demanding rapid adoption from a business perspective. For the first time, the pressure isn’t just coming from the tech side; it’s strategic, top-down, and urgent. This is a rare opportunity for the entire industry to row in the same direction and deliver immediate and transformative value.
AI Has Entered the Building
This year marked a clear inflection point. AI isn’t hype, it’s a strategic shift that’s reshaping how the C-suite engages with technology.
“If we’re going to stay competitive, we need our data.”
The mandate has moved beyond curiosity. The C-suite is no longer waiting for IT to interpret the landscape; they’re directly driving expectations. They’re pragmatic, outcome-focused, and intolerant of unnecessary complexity.
Sessions explored:
- Agentic AI and how it’s beginning to reshape leasing, energy ops, and maintenance workflows.
- The shift from vague data dreams to AI-ready infrastructure.
- How building owners are realizing that no structure = no AI.
- This is the best reason I have heard in three decades of pushing for open standards! It used to be just the techies asking for open standards, now the boardroom is demanding what the boiler room always knew was necessary.
The divide between techies and executives is finally closing. AI has become the bridge, not just aligning priorities but exposing inefficiencies. And what’s more, the leaders in the room aren’t just passive consumers of boxed solutions anymore; they’re becoming hands-on builders. AI is empowering domain experts to become developers, designers, and orchestrators of intelligent systems. The C-suite has no patience for complexity, proprietary solutions, jargon, or excuses. They want results, and they know AI can help get them there faster. For those who didn’t understand that before Realcomm 2025, they certainly do now.
Bill Wong teaches us about Agentic AI
Where Agentic Starts: Organize Your Data
One recurring question: “Where do we start with agentic AI?”
The answer was clear:
Start by getting your knowledge and data into a digital, structured format.
But what is Agentic AI, and why is it generating so much buzz?
AI demands more than access. It requires context, trust, and interoperability. And the prerequisite is non-negotiable but straightforward: clean, connected, contextual data.
Agentic AI refers to the deployment of specialized AI agents, not just one, but potentially dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, each assigned to discrete operational tasks. These agents can collaborate, act independently, and even interact with other agents outside your organization, scaling intelligence and automation across domains. It’s AI that not only answers but acts, accelerating how buildings are managed, optimized, and experienced.
Where is this going? Toward a future where AI agents operate like digital staff, constantly learning, communicating, and executing. And the first step in enabling that future is making sure your organizational knowledge is digitized and accessible, not just to people, but to machines.
Bill Wong, waiting is not an option.
From “Vibe Coding” to Outcomes That Matter
“Vibe coding”, acting on intuition and flexible experimentation, was a phrase I heard more than once. And for good reason.
Quite a few leaders shared how using AI for code generation has taken off like a rocket, in ways few imagined just six months ago. From building control logic to automation scripts, it’s not just tech professionals doing the coding anymore.
So, what is vibe coding? It’s a rapid, low-friction development mindset powered by AI assistance. You describe what you want in plain language, and the system builds it with you. It’s coding by conversation, guided by domain knowledge, driven by prompts and goals rather than syntax.
But vibe alone isn’t enough. Attendees are:
- Demanding open APIs and questioning closed systems.
- Challenging legacy vendors to prove value beyond marketing.
- Focusing on results, not just RFP-friendly specs.
Outcomes over optics.
C4SB + Linux Foundation: The C-Suite’s Answer!
A turning point came with the announcement that the Coalition for Smarter Buildings (C4SB) is now officially collaborating with the Linux Foundation.
Interoperability across domains isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s infrastructure.
Just before the C4SB session, Realcomm’s Big Tent event echoed the same truth, and many of the same domain leaders were present at both.
This wasn’t just alignment in principle; it was a real assembly of expertise. The Tiger Team and Big Tent drew from many organizations and voices.
- Closed data is a dead end.
- Semantics must cut across HVAC, lighting, occupancy, and real-time ops.
- Connections between systems must be visible, stable, and documented.
The C-suite is no longer just curious. They’re asking hard questions. And C4SB is offering real answers.
Cybersecurity: From Avoidance to Urgency
In multiple sessions, from Claroty to the Tiger Team, it was clear: cyber threats are getting worse. One eye-opening statistic shared was that over 3.4 billion email-based cyberattacks occur every single day, a stark reminder of the scale and urgency of the challenge.
Claroty didn’t just talk about vulnerabilities; they demonstrated one. During their session, they showed how attackers could hack into the window shades of a 30-story building, manipulating them to create large X patterns across the façade. It was a dramatic, real-world illustration of just how exposed operational technology (OT) environments can be without proper protections.
Claroty shows how they hack an entire building’s shades to produce patterns
Joseph Martino also shared a sobering walkthrough of the Anatomy of a Breach, where AI-generated emails mimic trusted contacts and recognizable patterns to fool users into granting access. It’s no longer a game of brute force, but precision deception. This raised the stakes for both awareness and technical defense.
Joseph Martino breaks down a security breach
No more hand-waving. Building operators and CIOs now realize:
- Visibility into OT systems is essential.
- Zero-trust starts with knowing what’s running.
- Cyber and interoperability are now inseparable.
The days of “let’s hope it doesn’t happen to us” are over.
Leadership, Governance & The End of Secrets
Perhaps the most profound message came not from a technologist, but from Brett Hitt of HITT Construction.
His vision talk emphasized:
- Radical transparency: showing live dashboards and exposing real metrics.
- Governance at scale: how leadership isn’t about control — it’s about clarity.
- Culture shift: we don’t need more secrets; we need more signal.
- The Coalition of Smart Construction and Virginia Tech which matched the goals of the Coalition for Smarter Buildings.
We need more leaders with the courage to lead in the open, to take risks in full view, and to push against complacency. Strong leadership with backbone, not just titles, is now the prerequisite to any serious innovation.
Brett Hitt shares innovations at HITT Consulting
FACIL.ai: The Underdog That Delivered
In one of the most telling moments at Realcomm 2025, FACIL.ai danced away with two major Digie Awards, signaling promise and performance.
First, the Most Intelligent Higher Education Facility award went to Cal State Dominguez Hills, recognized for a 70% total campus GHG reduction since 2018 and a 48% central plant energy reduction. This was made possible through their integration of FACIL.ai into a forward-thinking intelligent campus strategy, edging out tough competition from none other than Stanford and UC Davis. Kenny Seeton accepted the award on behalf of the team.
Facil.ai and Cal State Dominguez Hills get two Digie Awards.
Then, just moments later, Best Tech Innovation, Intelligent Buildings was awarded to FACIL.ai itself for its Autonomous AI Chiller Optimization, a real-time, dynamic energy management system that’s setting a new AI benchmark in buildings. Keith Gipson accepted with a well-earned celebratory dance.
Keith has been relentless with this vision for decades, waiting patiently, and persistently, for the industry and technology to catch up. FACIL.ai isn’t chasing trends; it’s fulfilling a long-held promise.
And note this, all you fancy dashboard solutions: FACIL.ai operates with almost no dashboards. Why? Because when AI is controlling the machines directly, who needs a dashboard? It’s not about watching. It’s about acting.
Cut to the chase. Let the AI do the work.
FACIL.ai isn’t just talking about intelligent buildings. They’re delivering, with results, resilience, lots of dollars, and a bit of style. This is the present and future of the building industry.
You don’t need prestige. You need proof.
Etrit and Edi Demaj of Kodelabs ask why our industry is still locked in basements
Voices of Innovation: Awards and Interviews That Mattered
To ground these trends in real voices, I captured insights from leading-edge players who are moving fast and delivering real-world results:
PremiseHQ Introduces an AI Agent for You
- PremiseHQ – Winner of the Digie Award for Best AI Tech Innovation in Commercial Real Estate. I caught up with Don Bleaney, CPO, who walked us through “Lynn,” their digital employee:
- Conversational AI that answers natural-language questions in real time
- API-ready: integrates live data like store hours and security credentials
- Scan-and-go: QR codes bridging physical and digital experiences
- Practical use across tenant services, guest access, airports, and office towers
- Back-end automation combined with human-like reasoning, Don’s advice? “Treat AI like a teammate.” Start small. Train it. Expect mistakes. Improve together.
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kimononuma_realcomm2025-digieawards-premisehq-activity-7335975966676066306-XKgv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAErPBoBs61SLDRQoQjZHu1gU7qXr4VnM3I
- Spaceti – Turns real-time building data into actionable insights with AI-powered workplace intelligence.
Each of these conversations reinforced a simple truth: you win with connected knowledge and brave execution.
Digie Awards 2025: Amazing talent and lots of AI!
There were many other inspiring Digie winners across categories, from operations and automation to sustainability and innovation. Congratulations to all the finalists and recipients. The full list can be found here: Realcomm | Digie Awards 2025 Winners.
Realcomm 2025: All the faithful!
Final Thought: The Inaction Era Is Ending
Realcomm 2025 wasn’t just another year of buzzwords.
It was a call to action:
- To open up.
- To organize.
- To build trust in systems and people.
The question is no longer whether smart building tech can deliver.
It’s whether we’re brave enough to expect it, and whether we can do so sustainably and safely.
Following my viral post about AI and energy, I left the event inspired but still uneasy: Can we truly scale these technologies without burning through massive resources? Can we build systems that are not only efficient but ethically guided? Can we avoid the same trap we set of being locked to proprietary solutions?
We need more than excitement. We need alignment with core principles, like the Four Laws for Intelligent Ai & Digital Twins, I recently reposted.
As AI becomes embedded in how we run our spaces, let’s not forget the stakes. Innovation must also mean responsibility.
Wait…but there’s one more thing that’s been on my mind…
Why are so many top industry organizations suddenly so eager to collaborate, not just with each other, but with AI itself?
Could it be that beneath the buzz, there’s a quiet realization: if we don’t learn to play nice and move fast, we may lose the race altogether?
Wink wink. The future isn’t waiting, and if we do not become active participants, we will turn into the abandoned buildings of Japan!
Time to check into your hotel. Japanese buildings have a 30-year life span; many older ones are abandoned.
Next up: Digital Transformation, Turning Japanese: From Abandoned Buildings to DX
As I turn next to a story on Japan’s digital transformation, where robotic construction meets abandoned buildings and solar panels now occupy once-sacred rice fields, I’m reminded that technological progress must carry cultural intent. Japan has long embodied a tension between tradition and transformation.
The same questions apply here: What are we building? Who is it for? And what are we willing to protect in the process?
