Bentley Systems recently unveiled its new engineering application with generative AI capabilities for civil site design. Known as OpenSite+, it can accelerate drawing production by up to 10 times compared to traditional methods.

Kaushik Chakraborty, senior vice president of Asia Pacific at Bentley, talked to SEAC about the potential of this new application in the Asian market and shared some of the current shifts he’s seen shaping the region.

Gen AI in action

OpenSite+ is Bentley’s first engineering application leveraging generative AI (gen AI) capabilities for civil site design. It helps engineers swiftly design residential, commercial and industrial sites with AI tools, significantly boosting productivity and accuracy. This new software features a design co-pilot, site layout optimisations, automated drawing production and smart design tools.

At the 2024 Year in Infrastructure (YII) event in Canada, held in early October, Bentley announced the availability of OpenSite+ early access programme to engineering and construction firms in North America. According to Mr Chakraborty, the application will also be offered to other markets, including Asia, which is expected to start from this year.

With OpenSite+, Bentley is automating repetitive tasks, such as drawing production. “We’re not replacing engineers’ skills,” stressed Mr Chakraborty, “but rather we’re using AI as a tool to help engineers automate manual tasks, so that they can focus on higher-value activities and improve their productivity.”

A digital twin-native product, OpenSite+ has been built with Bentley’s iTwin platform to deliver AI-powered efficiencies and better-quality designs. Bentley said users of OpenSite+ can maintain control over their proprietary data during AI training, which creates a solid foundation to responsibly guide the development of AI models.

Increasing efficiency and transparency

With the rising demand for infrastructure – and better infrastructure – in Asia, due to rapid urbanisation and higher standard of living, advanced digital technologies like OpenSite+ can play a major role, explained Mr Chakraborty.

“There’s more pressure on governments to deliver projects faster, better and within the budget. A common challenge in construction projects is usually cost overruns, especially in large-scale projects.

“This is where technology comes in. As an engineering software company, we explored how we can use digital tools such as gen AI to help build projects more efficiently and economically without compromising on their quality.

“If we can deliver the design up to 10 times faster, or even just five times, we can reduce the construction time significantly, which means higher cost-savings for the projects.”

Technology also promotes more transparency among stakeholders, added Mr Chakraborty. “It allows them to find out the actual status of the project in the lifecycle, enhancing the project’s credibility.”

Mr Chakraborty mentioned that there is growing interest in greater transparency from organisations that provide project financing. “They want to know whether their investment is secure – is the project resilient, is it going to be sustainable, or does it have good-quality design?

“So I think technology like AI can benefit those organisations and other decision makers by creating more awareness of their funded projects: what are they actually investing in, and what are their ROI going to be?”

The changing construction landscape in Asia

Mr Chakraborty further highlighted the importance of Asian market for Bentley. “It is one of our fast-growing and key markets, with a lot of opportunities in infrastructure development.”

This is also evident with a large number of finalists from Asia at the company’s Going Digital Awards events over the past few years. In 2024 alone, projects in Asia made up half of the 36 finalists.

“The region is building all types of infrastructure – highways, roads, bridges, railways, water, housing, and many more,” said Mr Chakraborty. “We’re creating new infrastructure, not just rebuilding existing infrastructure as in developed countries.”

Mr Chakraborty emphasised that infrastructure development is not only vital but also “drives economic value for nations. Take the high-speed rail (HSR) between Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia, for example. Look at how much value it adds to the economy of both cities as the rail system connects people, goods and services more quickly.”

The Jakarta-Bandung HSR project won a 2022 Going Digital Award. Opened to the public in 2023, it significantly reduces the travel time between the two cities from three hours to less than an hour. During construction, the contractor employed digital solutions which helped save US$185 million in construction costs and shorten the construction schedule by six months.

Another example is the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road in the Philippines, which won a 2024 Going Digital Award. The use of digital solutions in this project increased productivity by 15% and boosted equipment logistics by 40%. The new road improves transportation of goods and reduces travel time by more than one hour, saving about 315 mil kg of equivalent carbon emissions per year.

With sustainability targets already set by many countries in Asia, digital adoption is expected to increase as well to support the environmental efforts of these countries. Mr Chakraborty reiterated Bentley’s view on sustainability, which goes beyond technological innovations: “It is about balancing economic, environment and social outcomes across the entire project for all stakeholders,” as Chris Bradshaw, the company’s chief sustainability officer put it during the YII 2024 event.

Mr Chakraborty also noted a shift in management cycle across Asia, with a younger generation coming onboard. “They bring new ideas and have different business perspectives. As projects become larger in scale and labour costs are rising, the younger generation is more willing to invest in technology to overcome the challenges.”

In addition, there is a long-term commitment to funding infrastructure projects by governments in the region, pointed out Mr Chakraborty. “This is very encouraging, as it will drive the adoption of new technologies, generate more jobs and provide better quality of life for the people.”

Last but not least, an exceptional project can further push digital transformation forward. “The development of IKN [Ibu Kota Negara, Indonesia’s new capital city] is a great example of this,” said Mr Chakraborty. “The scale of the project is so big that it would be extremely difficult to deliver with traditional methods.”

Looking ahead, given the progress of infrastructure development in the region, how can Bentley continue to empower project teams through the use of innovative technologies? Mr Chakraborty affirmed that the company is “making the adoption simpler and offering products that are easier to use and much more cost-effective especially for emerging markets.”

Image 1-2: Bentley Systems
Image 3: Department of Public Works and Highways