EXTON, PA — Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY) selected 36 projects as finalists for its 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards, with two-thirds reporting some use of artificial intelligence as engineering firms increasingly incorporate AI and connected data into major infrastructure work.
The finalists were selected by independent industry panels from more than 300 submissions across 53 countries, Bentley reported. The projects compete in 12 categories covering transportation, energy, construction, utilities, water systems and other infrastructure.
Of the 36 finalists, 24 reported using AI in some form, while 22 showed what Bentley characterized as strong or supporting evidence of a connected digital foundation. Digital twins, analytics and integrated project data also feature across the selected projects.
The results provide a snapshot of how firms using Bentley software are applying newer digital tools to engineering and operations, from automated flood-protection design and landslide forecasting to construction planning and electrical-grid risk assessment.
“This year’s finalists show how infrastructure is moving from disconnected files, manual workflows, and periodic inspections to connected information, intelligent automation, and continuous insight,” Bentley Chief Marketing Officer Cate Lochead said.
U.S. finalists include Parsons, on behalf of the Georgia Department of Transportation, for modernization work involving Savannah’s Talmadge Memorial Bridge. Kiewit was selected for a connected-data project aimed at project delivery, while RS&H Inc. was recognized for its work on Florida’s Interstate 4.
Burgess & Niple Inc. is a finalist for its use of digital technology on a U.S. 98 design-build project. Arcadis was selected for AutoFW, which automates the design of flood-protection structures.
DPR Construction and Trillium Advisory Group ULC are finalists for digital delivery work on an Abilene data center, while NV5, India was selected for a project mapping risks across 17,600 miles of utility infrastructure in the U.S.
Projects outside the U.S. include digital work on Britain’s HS2 London tunnels and Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, geological modeling for Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 5 and operational digital twins covering a 14,000-kilometer water distribution network in the Netherlands.
Other finalists are applying digital tools to the Port of Dover, Jakarta International Stadium, a geothermal power plant in Indonesia, high-speed rail development in the Czech Republic and a stormwater drainage master plan for Delhi.
AI is particularly explicit in several projects. APD Global in Australia is using AI-enabled digital delivery for the Clean Energy Link–North transmission project, while Aboitiz Renewables in the Philippines is applying geospatial intelligence to predict landslide risks.
Bentley’s awards program has operated for more than two decades and recognizes projects using the company’s infrastructure engineering software. Finalists are evaluated based on the projects, engineering challenges and reported results.
The finalists will present their projects Oct. 6-7 at Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure event at the Fairmont Singapore. Presentations will cover engineering context, project execution, digital methods and results.
Bentley will also present Founders’ Honors to projects selected separately by the company’s founders and executives.
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