Johnson Controls Launches OpenBlue Innovation Centre in Bengaluru

 Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, today announced the official opening of its biggest state-of-the-art OpenBlue Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The new centre offers hands-on demos of net zero building technology and showcases Johnson Controls OpenBlue with cloud, edge, and AI in a fully operable, live environment.

 “The answer to one of the most urgent challenges of our time, climate change, lies in systemic digitalization in buildings, using cloud, edge, and AI to unite, automate and optimize systems,” said Vijay Sankaran, chief technology officer at Johnson Controls. “OpenBlue represents a new frontier of digitalization that is helping buildings reach net zero emissions, and even become net energy positive. India is at the heart of technological innovations, and we are excited to expand our OpenBlue network here. Together with the thriving tech ecosystem here, we look forward to uncovering new possibilities in advancing net zero solutions for the building sector.”

This third, biggest, and most advanced OpenBlue Innovation Centre in India highlights Johnson Controls’ growing presence in India and its commitment to supporting India’s G20 leadership priorities of sustainability and digitalization, as well as its long-term climate commitments. With a focus on breakthrough AI and innovations in sustainable, energy-efficient building technology, the new centre is driving innovation to accelerate India’s net zero progress.

The Bengaluru centre also will feature the first experience centre in India, offering business and public leaders hands-on demos of building technology in action. It will showcase Johnson Controls OpenBlue, a suite of connected solutions using cloud, edge, and AI technology, in a fully operable, live environment. Customers will be able to experience the digital twin – a digital replica of assets, processes, places, systems, and devices in a smart building. Other demos include access control technologies, computer vision with video analytics, and fire safety solutions with 3D-printed models.

Visitors also can immerse themselves in the Johnson Controls virtual reality experience, exploring the creation and operational nuances of smart, energy-efficient, net zero emission buildings. The experience aims to support customers in outlining their own net zero goals.

The inauguration of the Johnson Controls OpenBlue Innovation Centre in Bengaluru was presided over by Sankaran, Bhaskar Ghosh, chief strategy officer at Accenture, Sivakumar Selva Ganapathy, vice president of OpenBlue India software engineering and Asia-Pacific solutions at Johnson Controls India, and Divya Jha, director of human resources at Johnson Controls India.

“Decarbonisation of buildings is a key imperative to achieving the national net zero goals, as buildings contribute nearly 40% of global emissions, and traditionally waste a lot of energy,” said Ganapathy. “We believe that digitalisation of buildings is the biggest, quickest way to address and realise net zero buildings in India, and this must happen concurrently across every industry. Johnson Controls’ expansion of its OpenBlue Innovation Centre network marks a milestone on that path. It is sure to play a pivotal role in deepening our comprehensive net zero building offering, and to accelerate our country’s path to an emission-free future.”

With 30 years in India, Johnson Controls has established three manufacturing and five engineering centres, and employs more than 8,000 people, including 3,000 engineers. The OpenBlue Innovation Centre in Bengaluru launches operations with more than 300 engineers. Plans include the creation of additional roles over the next two years, including R&D, digital twin, and edge engineers, AI and computer vision scientists, cyber security specialists, and site reliability engineers. Opening this new centre in one of India’s biggest destinations for IT and engineering talent, Johnson Controls aims to make India a strategic hub to drive its smart building innovation.