In 1906, Honeywell introduced homeowners to one of the very first thermostats. This programmable wonder could be preset the night before to the family’s desired morning temperature. Homeowners quickly snatched up these luxurious new devices and said good riddance to the chilling task of stoking the basement furnace in the wee hours of the morning. In the 1930s, Honeywell added an electric clock to the thermostat for easier and more programming options.

The humble thermostat marked our society’s foray into environmental control and management. And, my, what a difference 90 years makes. Today, we’re on the cusp of widespread, cloud-based building management systems that will pave the way for AI applications that support every aspect of data center operations.