The infrastructure industry is currently navigating complex challenges, from climate change and urban expansion to labor shortages and supply chain disruptions. Amidst these challenges, an unlikely hero is emerging: artificial intelligence (AI). AI is bringing forth a new era of efficiency and innovation, reshaping the infrastructure sector's traditional ways.

The infrastructure sector is at a crossroads, with formidable challenges on one hand and immense growth potential on the other. The pathway to a sustainable future requires an estimated $139 trillion global investment in infrastructure by 2050, with $94 trillion needed by 2040 to align with anticipated economic shifts. AI holds the key to unlocking this sector's full potential by fostering collaboration, reducing costs, and expediting project delivery.

AI can streamline the infrastructure industry, breaking down barriers between stakeholders and enabling a shift from linear approach to a more flexible and collaborative model. The pace of AI adoption, however, is currently slow and uneven, with industry and technology companies showing mixed levels of investment. To fully leverage AI's potential, a change in mindset, skillset, and toolset is urgently needed.

Industry-wide strategic interventions are required to accelerate the sector’s growth and maturity. Five guiding principles and ambitions have been outlined to foster greater AI adoption:

EY, in collaboration with the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), offers infrastructure advisory services to governments, regulators, and private clients. It plays a pivotal role in guiding strategic decision-making and fostering sustainable project development in the sector. EY's collaboration underlines the importance of organizations like FIDIC in supporting industry-wide efforts to embrace AI.

The modern data landscape is complex and fast-paced, rendering traditional information management methods ineffective. Data integration, the process of consolidating information from disparate sources, is vital for improving data quality and facilitating better decision-making. The global data integration market is projected to reach approximately USD 43.38 billion by 2033.

AI simplifies data integration processes, maximizes data value, and mitigates the risks associated with ineffective data integration such as incomplete information, poor decision-making, and project failures. AI automates data transformations, boosts data quality, and enables swift extraction of actionable insights. These benefits are not exclusive to the infrastructure sector; they are making waves in healthcare, finance, retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, and transportation.

The infrastructure sector is on the brink of a server room revolution, driven by the unwavering march of AI. Undoubtedly, this revolution requires a mindset shift from stakeholders, new business models, and strategic interventions.

However, the rewards are worth the effort - successful AI adoption could lead to unprecedented efficiency, innovation, and connectivity in the field of infrastructure. Indeed, it's not just a revolution; it's a renaissance, a rebirth of the sector into a more sustainable, resilient, and efficient version of its former self. The future of infrastructure has never looked brighter.