How AWS and Trane are Using AI to Cut Building Emissions

At its re:Invent 2025 conference in Las Vegas, AWS highlighted a significant new application for AI in building efficiency, with its collaboration with Trane Technologies focusing on using AI to reduce emissions from its grocery warehouse network.

The announcement centres on a new system designed to make commercial facilities smarter and more responsive to their energy needs. This technology could provide a blueprint for other enterprises looking to lower the carbon footprint of their physical infrastructure.

AI-driven building optimisation

At the core of the initiative is a virtual assistant for commercial buildings, developed in partnership with Trane Technologies and BrainBox AI and running on Amazon Bedrock. This system integrates with a building’s existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

Instead of relying on fixed schedules and manual intervention, the system employs AI to continuously optimise temperature airflow and energy consumption. It functions as a digital operator for each facility, processing data from sensors to predict demand and adjust equipment settings accordingly.

The objective is to maintain comfortable internal conditions while minimising energy waste.

Pilot programme performance

AWS and Trane Technologies initially test the technology in three Amazon grocery fulfilment centres in North America. These sites were selected for their complex energy profiles, which are characterised by significant refrigeration loads, automation and continuous 24-hour operations.

In these pilot programmes, the AI assistant reduced the facilities' energy use by nearly 15%. This outcome demonstrates that intelligent control systems can yield substantial energy savings without the need for immediate physical retrofits to the buildings themselves.

These reductions correspond to lower operating costs and avoided carbon emissions, presenting a business case for applying advanced analytics to existing building infrastructure.

Scaling and enhanced diagnostics

Following the pilot results, Amazon announces plans to implement the AI-powered system across more than 30 of its grocery fulfilment and distribution centres in the United States. This expansion will extend the technology from a small test group to a considerable part of Amazon’s grocery logistics network.

The partners also plan to begin pilots in grocery stores next year, moving the application from logistics hubs to customer-facing environments where climate control is critical for comfort and food safety.

Beyond energy optimisation, the system offers advanced diagnostic capabilities. By analysing large volumes of building data, the AI can help facility managers identify, diagnose and address equipment issues more quickly than with traditional building management systems.

This early fault detection for problems such as stuck dampers or failing chillers can reduce equipment downtime and maintenance costs. It also ensures that energy savings are not diminished by undiscovered system faults.

The initiative is framed as part of a wider strategy to address emissions from the built environment. As the AI layer is software-based and operates on Amazon Bedrock, it can be updated and refined over time.

"These announcements reflect a broader truth," says Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

She adds: "AI and cloud technology are helping us build better businesses and a better future by enabling and accelerating climate action. And this is just the beginning!"