LIVE from SCaLE 22x in Pasadena!
Just a few weeks ago, I was at AHR/ASHRAE Expo, searching for answers on how building controls and Digital Twins can actually play nice together—and whether open-source could be the missing link.
Here at SCaLE 22x, I’ve found something even bigger:
• Open-source AI isn’t just enabling Digital Twins—it’s scaling knowledge itself.
• We don’t have to rely solely on proprietary AI models to make buildings and cities truly smart.
• The open-source community is proving that interoperability, collaboration, and decentralized intelligence are the only ways to handle the complexity of the built environment.
SCaLE 22x: Open-Source, AI & the Power of Collaboration
SCaLE 22x (Southern California Linux Expo) is a massive gathering of open-source developers, AI pioneers, and system integrators, all working to break down silos and accelerate innovation. Unlike traditional industry events, SCaLE is about action—real solutions built by a community that believes technology should be open, accessible, and interoperable.
Buildings, Cities & AI: Why Open-Source is Critical
At AHR, I saw firsthand the struggles of proprietary, vendor-locked systems in the building industry. Smart buildings aren’t smart when they can’t talk to each other. Digital Twins remain static when they can’t integrate real-time data from sensors, automation, and infrastructure.
But at SCaLE, the answer was clear: Open-Source AI is the missing piece.
At the SCaLE Hackathon, developers built real-world AI solutions for disaster resilience, emergency response, and AI-driven urban intelligence—all powered by open, decentralized networks instead of closed systems.
The Takeaway? Smart Buildings and Cities Don’t Have to Be Dumb.
Jon Connors’ Message to the Building Industry: Open Your Connections
One of the most powerful moments came from Jon Connors, advisor to KWAAI and an advocate for open-source AI, who spoke directly to the building industry:
“Open your connections. Standardize APIs. Enable interoperability so buildings can truly be smart—not just locked in vendor-controlled systems.”
This aligns perfectly with what happening at the Linux Foundation’s Coalition for Smarter Buildings (C4SB)—where open-source APIs for buildings will create plug-and-play interoperability, just like the internet does for data.
• Imagine a world where fire alarms, HVAC, security, and IoT devices can seamlessly communicate—not just within one vendor’s ecosystem, but across all systems.
• Imagine emergency response networks forming in real-time when disasters strike, powered by AI at the edge.
Imagine Digital Twins dynamically updating without waiting months for proprietary integrations.
The Real Threat: When Two Black Boxes Meet
If we are concerned about buildings being trapped in proprietary controls, wait until multiple black boxes get together—proprietary building controls, proprietary AI, proprietary single-solution “Hollywood” Digital Twins, and closed BIM systems that promise everything but deliver vendor lock-in instead.
That will be the end of all of us when it comes to openness, interoperability, and owner control. 😬
Building owners need to be aware of this trap. Too many solutions claim to be “smart,” “integrated,” or the only digital twin you’ll ever need—only to leave owners locked into black-box ecosystems where they can’t access, move, or share their own building data without relying on the vendor’s permission.
• AI is now personal.
• The future is decentralized.
• And we have to drive it.
Interviews Coming Soon: 12 Industry Leaders Weigh In
Over the past few days, I had the opportunity to interview 12 industry leaders across AI, open-source, Digital Twins, emergency response, and smart buildings. These conversations dive deep into what’s happening now, what’s next, and what we need to do to break free from closed systems.
I’ll be posting these interviews with commentary over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for insights from:
• AI pioneers working on decentralized intelligence
• Building industry leaders discussing the future of open connections
• Smart infrastructure experts sharing how Digital Twins are evolving
Why This Matters for Smart Buildings, Digital Twins & Emergency Response
The past year has made one thing painfully clear: buildings and infrastructure need to react faster to disasters. The Pasadena wildfires, the Hawaiian wildfires, and even last year’s Texas power grid failure all exposed the inability of current systems to adapt and communicate.
At SCaLE 22x, the hackathon teams built AI-driven solutions to enhance real-time emergency response, leveraging edge computing, open-source telemetry, and AI-driven situational awareness. The message was clear:
We don’t need to wait for big tech to “solve” smart buildings. The tools already exist—we just need to open them up.
