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Carnot and Hikvision work to deliver smarter, greener, and more efficient buildings
Carnot Innovations is working with Hikvision to bring about an AI revolution in building management and performance. AI-driven analytics, coupled with a seamless integration with Hikvision technologies, promises to make buildings smarter, greener, and far more efficient. TS Velan, Carnot’s Business Development Lead for Southeast Asia, recently presented their solution at the Hikvision 2025 Shaping Intelligence Commercial Summit in Bangkok. We spoke to him to find out more.
Carnot Innovations was founded in 2018 by Ashish Jerry Justin, an expert in Building Automation control systems, and Chris Choy, a Data Science expert who has a PhD in Statistics from Oxford. They joined the Entrepreneur First accelerator programme in the UK and launched Carnot with a mission to address inefficiencies in building operations in general, and energy consumption in particular.
To do that, we start by capturing data points from systems throughout a building. We then use AI-powered analytics to deliver important insights, automate optimization controls, and improve overall operational efficiency.
Today, operating primarily in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, we provide solutions to commercial buildings, hospitals, shopping malls, hotels, and public infrastructure, including airports and metro stations. As the Business Development Lead for this region, my role is to build strategic partnerships and help clients optimize their CAPEX & OPEX by improving the building's operational performance. I am also focused on educating the market about how digital transformation and AI adoption can make buildings greener, smarter, and more cost-efficient.
That’s a really good question. I would say that most owners or managers of large buildings know that 60% of their operational expenses are spent on energy usage. Some may know that half of that comes from air conditioning alone. Yet most building operators don’t know just how much energy they are using, how much energy they are wasting, or – even more critically – how much energy they actually need. To answer these questions, traditionally they engage an energy consultant, and it costs them a lot, and it takes a few weeks to conduct an energy audit and provide answers. That’s where our platform comes in. We answer all these questions and more, in a fraction of the cost and instantly.
Our platform uses advanced machine learning and generative AI technologies to analyze real-time data from building systems. This enables us to identify operational and energy usage inefficiencies, predict equipment failures, and recommend optimal operating strategies. For example, if a pump is leaking but not broken, traditionally building management systems won’t flag it. Our platform tracks the failure path of equipment defects and energy usage abnormalities by identifying anomalies, quantifying energy waste, and providing proactive alerts to the operator to address them immediately. We also provide data-driven recommendations for equipment upgrades, ensuring smarter decisions and long-term savings.
In our joint solution, Hikvision plays a key role in aggregating data from the BMS, elevators, and multiple sensors throughout the building, utilizing the open Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet) protocol. This is an open communications protocol that is widely used in building automation and allows devices like air conditioning units, pumps, and sensors to communicate over standard IP networks.
Hikvision’s Integrated Data Management platform is a powerful capability for us, as it means that, instead of creating complex integrations for every device, we just need a single connection to Hikvision’s BACnet gateway to extract the information we need . Our AI platform can effectively sit on top of Hikvision’s data aggregation layer, analyzing it to deliver optimization instructions to reduce energy wastage.
Perhaps the most obvious difference between our solution and traditional BMS platforms is that they create static dashboards, which must then be interpreted. We, however, offer a next-generation, conversational interface powered by generative AI. Instead of scrolling through charts, operators can now simply ask questions using natural language. They might ask something like, “What was the energy usage for March 2023?” and receive insights instantly, in whatever form is required – presented as text, tables, reports, or charts. This conversational approach makes complex data more accessible, allowing decisions to be made much faster. And this, in turn, leads to significant cost savings.
Together, our joint solution is presented to building operators as a unified solution for security, energy, and facility management. This is the solution we aim to launch in our first integrated project, which I expect will be in Southeast Asia within six months. Beyond that, the possibilities for combining our AI-driven building optimization with Hikvision’s AIoT ecosystem are immense.
I have been to many large corporate events around the world, but this one was truly special. The panoramic screen that was behind me as I presented was enormous!
But what impressed me most was the overall professionalism and attention paid to the smallest details. The Hikvision team took care of everything from multilingual support to providing a personal assistant to speakers. It made me feel that, as a partner, I was both respected and taken very seriously. It was an extremely impressive demonstration of professional precision and a culture of care.
More than that, the event opened doors to new opportunities for Carnot, particularly with system integrators across Southeast Asia. It also inspired me, confirming what I suspected, that the potential for our energy optimization solution is genuinely global. It was clear that our AI-driven analytics, especially when combined with Hikvision’s real-time occupancy data, can unlock unprecedented efficiency gains for building operators across the world.
It is clear that we share a common vision of smarter, greener, and more efficient buildings. The combination of our advanced analytics with Hikvision’s world-class hardware will, I am sure, help to shape the future of intelligent building management.
But in my experience, integrating systems like ours depends not so much on integrating the hardware and software – although that is clearly important – as it is does on integrating people.
Hikvision’s team has been incredibly supportive. They’ve helped us with everything from the technical integration to planning collaborative marketing and strategic product development. Throughout my time working with them, I would say that their professionalism has been second to none. This is inspiring and exciting, and it gives me huge confidence that our partnership will be a success and our vision will be realized.
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