INFRASTRUCTURE
funding for long-overdue infrastructure upgrades, especially as the business benefits of digitisation are so tangible. They include improved productivity through predictive maintenance and reduced emergency callouts, enhanced energy efficiency via automated optimisation and real-time monitoring, and accelerated progress towards decarbonisation goals through integrated sustainability reporting. However, we cannot ignore the fact that implementing smart hospital technology can require significant financial investment and the upfront costs can seem daunting. This is where specialised healthcare financing solutions become critical enablers of transformation. Unlike traditional capital funding, flexible financing options can align with your institution’s digital journey, helping you manage resources more effectively while building a healthier future.
The AI revolution Healthcare leaders consistently identify AI as the emerging technology with the greatest potential impact on decarbonisation over the next three years, followed by digital twins and virtual reality technologies. It is also true that AI demand is generating more power consumption, which can impact overall decarbonisation goals. However, there is still widespread optimism given that AI is already delivering measurable results in healthcare facilities today, while pointing toward even more transformative autonomous capabilities. AI has already started to be embedded
in products and platforms. Take for example our Comfort AI, which helps to automate and control Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC). By using HVAC equipment data along with weather and – in some scenarios – occupancy data, it defines the optimal conditions in a room or zone of a building. This effectively creates a closed-loop optimisation system that predicts the ideal conditions and then operates the HVAC more efficiently. Far from being theoretical, this is happening in buildings right now, where precise environmental control is critical for both patient care and energy efficiency. The results are measurable – healthcare facilities implementing intelligent HVAC controls are achieving significant monthly energy savings.
Going a step further with autonomous infrastructure management The next evolution paves the way for human-centric autonomous hospitals, built on Agentic AI, that move beyond automated control to independent reasoning and orchestration. This emerging technology leverages AI to continuously analyse and optimise operations with minimal human intervention, delivering the ideal indoor
IFHE DIGEST 2026
Rolling out digital transformation is not something you can afford to get wrong
experience for patients, staff, and visitors, and efficient, cost-effective outcomes for owners and operators. Maintenance is one area that could be
transformed by autonomous infrastructure management. Consider today’s fault detection systems that identify problems and alert staff as they happen. When an operating room’s air handling unit (AHU) filter clogs, for example, the system flags low airflow and maintenance responds according to standard protocols. Tomorrow’s Agentic AI takes the same clogged filter alert but adds clinical intelligence that goes beyond current rule- based prioritisation systems. Rather than simply coordinate filter replacement timing with existing surgical schedules, the Agentic system takes decisive action. It automatically reschedules non-emergency surgeries to create immediate maintenance windows, prioritising patient safety over operational convenience. The AI coordinates directly with surgical scheduling teams and infection control protocols to ensure the critical repair happens within hours, not days. This contextual reasoning extends
across all maintenance types. When predictive analytics detect a chiller compressor trending toward failure, Agentic AI does not just forecast the breakdown, it calculates that failure will coincide with peak cooling demand, assesses risks to critical systems, recommends early replacement during quieter periods, checks parts availability and coordinates procurement across departments. Even routine decisions become
strategic. Rather than simply alerting ‘battery needs replacement’ when UPS systems degrade, Agentic AI weighs regulatory audit schedules, critical care equipment risks, procurement lead times, and budget cycles. It then recommends optimal replacement timing while initiating purchasing workflows automatically. This transformation fundamentally shifts maintenance from reactive problem solving to proactive and strategic decision making. It is no longer far-fetched to imagine a future where buildings autonomously handle self-service replacements before failure occurs and a technician is needed.
Four stage implementation framework Rolling out digital transformation in healthcare is not something you can afford to get wrong. Critical infrastructure
demands a careful, structured approach that delivers real benefits without putting patient care at risk. This framework comes from experience working across dozens of healthcare facilities:
l Stage 1: Sensor deployment and data collection
Think of this as giving your hospital building a nervous system. You start by strategically placing sensors throughout critical systems which become the building’s eyes and ears, constantly feeding back information on energy use, equipment health, environmental conditions, and overall performance. It is like having lots of tiny monitors working 24/7 to tell you exactly what is happening in every corner of your facility. Given the scale of some hospitals, we
suggest starting with high-impact areas – operating theatres, patient rooms, pharmacies, and critical equipment storage – where environmental conditions directly impact care quality and energy usage.
l Stage 2: System interoperability The challenge lies in getting all your systems to communicate through common protocols and interfaces. Your building management system (BMS) should integrate HVAC systems, electrical infrastructure, and fire safety and security systems to create one ‘team’ instead of operating in silos. The key here is that you need the solid
foundation of a robust building management platform. These platforms handle the heavy lifting – connecting diverse systems, analysing thousands of data points in real-time and providing the frameworks for AI implementation. Think of them as the central hub that gives AI systems the complete operational picture they need to make intelligent decisions about everything – from HVAC and lighting to medical equipment and security systems.
l Stage 3: Smart hospital – advanced analytics and optimisation
Once you have automated your building infrastructure, you have the necessary building blocks in place to become a smart hospital. With all your tech fully integrated and your data flowing through a building management platform, you can collect and analyse data about building infrastructure, generating predictive and prescriptive insights that help the hospital estate run optimally and see energy bills reduce.
l Stage 4: Autonomous hospitals and facilities management
This is the endgame – Agentic AI systems that essentially run themselves and are designed to execute complex workflows proactively. A truly autonomous set-up will understand clinical context by recognising
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