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5 Thought Leadership Stories From 2024 You Need To Read

In 2024, we turned over the pen — or, rather, the keyboard — to Bentley Systems executives and other insightful voices to tell us about the future of infrastructure engineering. They discussed how AI will change the sector, why we need resilient infrastructure to adapt to climate change, and other pressing topics. Here are five of our favorite discussions: The Future of Infrastructure Engineering is Open Bentley Systems is all-in on keeping data flowing freely in infrastructure. Nicholas Cumins has been championing this “openness” since he became CEO of Bentley, the leading infrastructure engineering software company. “A road, a bridge or a dam might be in operation for 50 years or more, undergoing repairs, upgrades and expansions,” Cumins writes. “By ensuring that our systems remain open, we allow organizations to adopt new technologies and innovations while still being able to access and build on historical data.” Cumins, who was named CEO last summer, notes that openness is not just about connecting different software: “It is about structuring and organizing data so that it can be queried, analyzed and reused across multiple platforms.” For example, many infrastructure assets generate gigabytes of data every day. But only a small fraction—10% or less—is

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How the ‘City of Bridges’ Inspired a Rising Engineer’s Career. She’s now Bringing Generative AI to Infrastructure

With hundreds of bridges crossing valleys, railroads and the three major rivers that meet downtown, Pittsburgh embodies its nickname as the City of Bridges. These bridges are more than infrastructure—they’re proud symbols of connection and community. That pride was on full display when the Andy Warhol Bridge became the centerpiece of Knit the Bridge, a 2013 public art project that blanketed the bridge with nearly 600 knitted and crocheted panels in a colorful tribute to the city’s engineering legacy. For Emily Zhang, who came to Pittsburgh to study computational mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University, the city’s bridges are more than a backdrop. They sparked discussions in her classes and her interest in infrastructure. “For the first time, I started hearing about bridges and transportation systems, and how math could be used for real-world modeling,” she recalls. That shift in perspective set Zhang on the path to explore infrastructure—and the software that designs it—as a career. She’s now working on the sector’s leading edge, developing software powered by generative AI that is changing the game for civil engineers. While Pittsburgh sparked Zhang’s interest in infrastructure, her journey to Bentley Systems, a global leader in infrastructure engineering software, began much earlier and

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How Bentley’s CEO Sees AI and Open Data Shaping the Future of Infrastructure and Closing the Sector’s Talent Gap

In a wide-ranging conversation on The Infrastructure Podcast, Nicholas Cumins, CEO of Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, talked about the challenges and opportunities facing the infrastructure sector. He addressed the shortage of engineering talent, explained the need for open data standards, and discussed the role of AI in the field. Cumins highlighted growing global demand for resilient infrastructure, especially amid challenges like rapid urbanization, economic growth, and the energy transition. But he emphasized that the industry’s capacity is strained by a lack of engineers, making technology essential to bridging the gap. “It’s great to be in infrastructure engineering software because software is of course one of the keys to help,” he said. He added that tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins are transforming how infrastructure is designed, built, and operated. Cumins said engineers and infrastructure owners and operators need for solutions that extend the lifespan of existing assets like roads and bridges, improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and make them more resilient. As examples of the Bentley’s focus on sustainable innovation and resilience, he pointed to the company’s new asset analytics offerings using AI to monitor infrastructure conditions at scale. One of them, Blyncsy, uses crowdsourced

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From Ancient Aqueducts to Generative AI: Bentley’s iLab Builds the Future, Brick by Digital Brick

Imagine stepping into a room where ancient aqueducts meet cityscapes conjured by generative AI, where stone roads lead to high-speed rail networks that emerge from a sea of data on a massive digital screen with just a few keystrokes. That’s the vision Bentley Systems’ iLab conjured with its Immersive Infrastructure Experience: From Aqueducts to AI. Part history lesson, part futuristic vision, the exhibit was the highlight of Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards in Vancouver this October. Greg Demchak, Bentley’s vice president for emerging technologies, called the iLab “a time machine for infrastructure.” Guests began their journey thousands of years ago, marveling at the ingenuity of ancient bridges and roads, before being whisked to the present and future. Here, Bentley illustrated how advanced visualization tools—powered by video game technology, Google geospatial data, and Cesium’s 3D Tiles—are revolutionizing engineering, design, construction, and infrastructure management. This visualization technology, unveiled at the Vancouver event, merges real-time renderings with geospatial information, engineering details, and other data to give users a fully interactive view of their projects. “When people see what’s possible, they’re floored,” says Demchak, as he toggles between underground utilities and panoramic cityscapes. “This is the future of infrastructure design—connected, real-time,

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AI Takes the Wheel in Highway Repairs: New Tech Flags Deteriorating U.S. Roads for DOTs

One day a decade ago, when Mark Pittman was a student at The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, he got caught in a snarl of traffic caused by a broken traffic light. The line was barely budging, and he was growing irritated. He knew he would be late for his class. But then a different kind of light sparked in his mind, illuminating a path from frustration to opportunity. The result was Blyncsy, a startup using AI, machine vision and cloud computing to monitor road conditions, find problematic spots and help departments of transportation maintain their road networks. Since its launch in 2014, Blyncsy has emerged as the industry leader in providing intelligent roadway insights, automated asset management, and near real-time status updates to local and state transportation departments. AI drives highway repairs The company is now celebrating a milestone: The release of a comprehensive public map of all interstate highways in the continental U.S. The AI-powered map shows key roadway assets such as guardrails, speed limit signs and work zones to support roadway safety and maintenance conditions. The data is available to all state U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies, enabling them to better address safety, maintenance

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The Future of Infrastructure Engineering is Open

This post is an excerpt from the keynote delivered by Bentley CEO Nicholas Cumins to open the 2024 Year in Infrastructure conference. Infrastructure today is facing unprecedented challenges. Around the world, demand for better, more resilient infrastructure is surging—whether it is to expand energy grids, modernize transportation networks, or retrofit existing structures to meet sustainable development goals. These are massive undertakings, requiring trillions of dollars in investment and decades of effort. Despite the urgent needs, there are not enough engineers to meet this demand. Backlogs are growing, and projects are stacking up. The shortage of skilled engineers and technical professionals is widening the gap between what is needed and what can realistically be delivered. While we have a shortage of engineers, we do not have a shortage of data. And there lies the biggest paradox of our industry. We have so much data, but comparatively few insights. Many assets generate gigabytes of data every day—whether from sensors on a bridge, a utility network, or any other system. But only a small fraction of this data is ever analyzed. Some say 10% of collected data is used, others say not even that much. As we advance toward more sophisticated asset operations

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Get Real: Powerful 3D Software Brings The Future of Infrastructure to Life in Just a Few Clicks

Greg Demchak stood before an enormous LED screen in a dark hotel conference room. With a game controller and a keyboard, he moved his audience through a digital model of Barcelona. The glowing screen showed a bird’s-eye view of the Spanish city’s famed “manzanas,” the octagonal block of buildings designed by the visionary 19th century urban planner Ildefons Cerda. Demchak zoomed in on a new construction site in the historic area, navigating the planned building’s future rooms and corridors as if they already existed. He explored design features, assessed how the project fit into the city’s historic grid, and even peered at underground infrastructure beneath the foundation—all without setting foot on site. This wasn’t a sci-fi simulation. It was a sneak peek into a bold new open platform for displaying infrastructure digital twins. The new advanced visualization solution was developed by Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, and merges real-time renderings with geospatial data, engineering details and other information to give users a fully interactive view of their projects. “When people see what’s possible, they’re floored,” Demchak, Bentley’s vice president for emerging technologies, says as he toggles between underground utilities and panoramic cityscapes. “This is the future of infrastructure

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Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards: Where AI, Digital Twins and Open Data Shape the Future

Infrastructure leaders from around the world recently gathered in Vancouver for Bentley System’s Year in Infrastructure and the Going Digital Awards. The two-day event, often called the Oscars of Infrastructure, drew more than 300 professionals to the Canadian city, while more than 1,000 joined online. The focus this year: How AI, digital twins and open data ecosystems are transforming infrastructure. Bentley CEO Nicholas Cumins opened the event on Oct. 8 with a vision for the future: “Together, we’re laying the groundwork for a future where open data ecosystems and AI seamlessly work together to create more sustainable and resilient infrastructure for better quality of life, for generations to come.” (Did you miss the event? Check out the highlights video.) The 20th annual event featured Bentley’s iLab, a stunning immersive experience powered by geospatial and digital twin technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI. Attendees lined up to step inside the exhibit and interact with infrastructure’s future. “The technology we’re seeing here is absolutely amazing for cities,” said Jamie Cudden, smart city program manager with the Dublin City Council in Ireland. “It’s a game changer. You can layer 3D data, engage citizens, and I’m so excited to use it in Dublin.”

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Get The News, Meet The Winners: Going Digital Awards Winners, Bentley Partners With Google, Generative AI And Carbon Analysis For Infrastructure And Other News From Vancouver

This week in Vancouver, Bentley Systems hosted its 20th Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards. Over 300 attendees from around the world joined in person, while more than 1,000 participated via livestream. The event featured interactive demos, real-world case studies, keynotes, and major announcements, all showcasing how AI, digital twins, and open-source visualizations are transforming infrastructure. Check out the key highlights and announcements in our video.

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Cutting Carbon: Bentley’s New Carbon Analysis Capabilities Are Helping Engineers Tackle Infrastructure’s Environmental Impact

When the U.S. began building the Federal Highway System in the 1950s and 1960s , sustainability wasn’t a big topic of conversation. Few engineers and policymakers thought about the long-term environmental impact of shifting away from railroads and the growing reliance on oil as personal vehicles became the norm. The carbon footprint of such a massive transportation network? Hardly anyone gave it a second thought. Today, the focus has shifted. “Carbon is now taking a more central role in how we design and deliver projects,” says Kelvin Saldanha, a highway engineer and associate director at WSP, one of the world’s leading civil engineering firms. He notes that even 15 years ago, engineers rarely considered a project’s carbon emissions. Learn more about Carbon Analysis The infrastructure sector — which includes everything from roads and railways to wind farms and tunnels — now accounts for roughly 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Saldanha says. As the world grapples with the effects of climate change, the sector is rethinking how to reduce its carbon footprint while building the future. Bringing carbon emissions into the equation is an important step. But firms like WSP have struggled with compiling carbon data for projects because of

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