German energy harvesting firm EnOcean has acquired the assets of the edge computing business from Japanese company Renesas Electronics.

The deal includes the transition of personnel as well as hardware and software and was closed on the first day of October.

Rising energy costs and a growing demand for sustainability provide opportunities for EnOcean. EnOcean’s products are helping users reduce energy consumption and their carbon footprint in a large number of installations.

EnOcean provides a combination of energy-harvesting sensors and cloud-based software that enables a deep understanding of building operation and use. Integration of edge computing will additionally provide access to data from the existing building infrastructure such as heating, cooling and lighting systems. These insights will not only allow for a reduced carbon footprint and lower energy bills but will enable companies to be more efficient in the use of their assets and real estate.

“EnOcean has always been very keen on delivering innovations and sustainability that have a real benefit for companies by creating energy-efficient, flexible and overall better buildings,” said EnOcean CEO Raoul Wijgergangs. “This acquisition brings us, our partners and our customers one step closer to a carbon-neutral future. Our combination, including the SmartServer IoT and IoT Access Protocol (IAP) software, enables customers to leverage existing data that are already being generated in their buildings, machines or other devices for a wide range of applications. These data can be augmented by additional energy harvesting and traditional sensors as needed to provide a comprehensive view. This enables understanding, control, interaction and optimisation of buildings and devices. Insights gained from sensor data can be applied directly to drive actions to improve efficiency.”

He said the Renesas team had a wealth of experience in software that bridged the gap between the existing HVAC and lighting systems in buildings and the cloud in an open and standardised way.

“We also expect that our go-to-market channels will be complementary, and that our combined businesses will be better together,” he said.

Apurba Pradhan, business unit director for industrial edge computing at Renesas, added: “I see tremendous opportunities in merging the channels of our two companies and I’m delighted that we’re joining a company that’s as dedicated to our market as we are. Together, we’re building on our technologies to provide for smart buildings that focus on sustainability, waste reduction and occupant experience. We’re excited about this shared journey on which we provide a seamless solution that paves the way for sustainable, maintenance-free and cost-effective IoT, and I’m certain that we’ll see very good growth opportunities for the two companies together.”

Acuity Advisors facilitated the deal and supported EnOcean during the transaction phase.

Headquartered in Oberhaching, near Munich, with its subsidiary in Salt Lake City, Utah, EnOcean delivers data for the IoT with its resource-saving technology. For more than 20 years, EnOcean has been producing maintenance-free wireless switches and sensors, which gain their energy from the surroundings – from movement, light or temperature. The combination of miniaturised energy converters, low-power electronics and robust radio technology based on open standards (EnOcean, Zigbee and Bluetooth) forms the foundation for digitised buildings, services and production processes in the IoT.

The self-powered products are used in building automation, smart homes, LED lighting control and industrial applications. EnOcean is a partner for more than 350 product manufacturers and has completed more than a million buildings worldwide with energy harvesting.