TLDR: Bentley Systems introduced a suite of new AI, geospatial, and cloud tools at its Year in Infrastructure 2025 conference, aiming to revolutionize infrastructure engineering by empowering professionals with advanced digital capabilities. Key announcements include an AI co-innovation initiative, generative AI for civil site design, and AI-powered search in ProjectWise, all designed to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and foster trustworthy AI applications.
AMSTERDAM – Bentley Systems, a leading infrastructure engineering software company, has unveiled a comprehensive array of artificial intelligence, geospatial, and cloud-based innovations at its ‘Year in Infrastructure 2025’ conference in Amsterdam. These advancements are set to transform how infrastructure projects are conceived, executed, and managed, with a strong emphasis on empowering engineers rather than replacing them.
Bentley CEO Nicholas Cumins articulated the company’s vision, stating, “AI is poised to transform infrastructure. At Bentley, our vision is for AI to empower infrastructure engineers—not replace them. Trustworthy AI, built on infrastructure context, can improve engineering productivity and transform workflows across project and asset lifecycles.” This commitment extends to democratizing AI, making it accessible to all engineering firms and owner-operators, not just the most sophisticated ones. Cumins also highlighted Bentley’s dedication to data stewardship, ensuring client data is not used for AI model training without explicit permission.
A significant highlight of the conference was the launch of an ‘Infrastructure AI co-innovation initiative,’ inviting engineering firms and asset owners to collaborate on developing the next generation of AI workflows. This initiative underscores a rapidly growing adoption of AI within the sector; a global survey conducted by Bentley, in collaboration with Pinsent Masons, Mott MacDonald, and Turner & Townsend, revealed that approximately half of infrastructure professionals are either piloting or have already implemented AI, with plans for broader organizational deployment. Furthermore, nearly one-third of submissions for Bentley’s prestigious ‘Going Digital Awards’ incorporated AI, with almost half of the finalists utilizing the technology.
The new offerings span Bentley’s product portfolio:
OpenSite+: This marks the introduction of the first engineering application to leverage generative AI for civil site design. Now in limited availability, OpenSite+ promises to deliver projects up to ten times faster without compromising accuracy.
ProjectWise: As part of the Bentley Infrastructure Cloud, ProjectWise will feature new AI-powered search capabilities. These enhancements are designed to significantly reduce the time users spend searching for information by providing instant, concise AI-generated summaries, eliminating the need to open files or switch applications. Early access for ProjectWise AI capabilities is slated for December 2025, with general availability expected in 2026.
Bentley Infrastructure Cloud Connect & iTwin Engage: These platforms are designed to align AI, open data, and geospatial infrastructure design, facilitating integrated and data-centric workflows.
MicroStation 2025: The company’s CAD software for infrastructure design now supports 3D Tiles via Cesium, which also powers the geospatial experience in Bentley Infrastructure Cloud Connect.
Francois Valois, Senior Vice President of Bentley Open Applications, emphasized the practical application of these innovations: “We have been creating a new generation of infrastructure applications built on digital twins, powered by AI, and fully connected to Bentley Infrastructure Cloud. They show what’s possible when AI is built for real infrastructure workflows and tailored to the needs of engineers.”
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Industry leaders at the event, including Alan Esguerra, Industry Strategist, noted a significant increase in trust for newer technologies like reality capture and digital twins over the past five years. Dustin Parkman, Vice President of the Industry Solutions Group, added that technologies such as lidar and reality-modeling are now considered ‘table stakes’ in engineering workflows. Patrick Cozzi, Chief Platform Officer, highlighted AI’s role in lowering the barrier to entry, enabling a broader range of practitioners to experiment and build on infrastructure software stacks. The consensus from the conference is clear: AI is rapidly becoming a foundational element in infrastructure engineering, driving unprecedented levels of productivity, efficiency, and innovation.
