Cognitive Infrastructure for an Uncertain World: How AI and Data Can Reinvent the World’s Largest Industry (2025)

The global construction and infrastructure industry, despite representing over $12 trillion annually and employing more than 7% of the global workforce, remains trapped in the analog era. Chronic underperformance, fragmented data systems, and slim operating margins continue to define a sector responsible for building the future. While AI is transforming fields from finance to healthcare, infrastructure leaders still lack the clean, contextual data needed to unlock its full potential. The result? Billions are spent each year on projects shaped by limited visibility, weak early-stage planning, and outdated workflows.

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This white paper offers a powerful vision for reversing that trend, introducing the concept of cognitive infrastructure: a framework that blends structured data, AI, and institutional memory to drive better, faster, and more adaptive decision-making. With examples such as integrating 65 years of global procurement data, enabling real-time visibility into market trends, and identifying opportunities before risks escalate, the report makes a compelling case: the future of infrastructure depends not just on building smarter, but thinking smarter. Click below to explore how AI isn’t just a tech upgrade, it’s the new foundation for the world’s most critical industry.