Last Week in ConTech - 12 May 2025
We need investment in AI education
Deep Insight: We need investment in AI education
This week, Caterpillar Inc. announced a $100 million investment over the next five years to upskill its workforce focusing on AI, automation, and robotics. At the same time, 200 CEOs signed a letter urging U.S. state leaders to make AI and computer science a high school graduation requirement.
What we are seeing is that the focus is shifting from AI tools to AI education.
In construction, even if we have the best solutions in the world, they’re useless if we don’t know how to use them.
Anecdotally, I’ve already heard of multiple GCs rolling out Microsoft Copilot to their workforce without offering training on its capabilities, prompting techniques, or where it adds value. This approach tends to lead to confusion due to unrealistic expectations and usually results in low adoption.
Having spent the last year helping in an innovation role focused on how to start adopting AI safely and practically, the most common feedback I heard was:
I believe AI will change how we work, but I don’t know how to start using it and I don’t know what I’m allowed to upload.
People are curious and want to use AI but they don’t know where to start. While some large companies can invest in custom AI education programs, most mid-sized firms don’t have that luxury.
One way to bridge the gap is to offload training to the startups themselves.
To drive adoption, customer success teams at AI startups often run onboarding / AI 101 sessions using best practices built from working across the industry.
It’s a low-cost way to expose your workforce to AI (price of the pilot). Once your team understands how to interact with these tools and develops ‘AI skills’ they can quickly adapt as newer, better (and cheaper) solutions emerge.
In this issue there are:
7 Startup Fundings
18 Policy and Regulatory Changes
9 New National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
0 New investment funds
1 Acquisitions
5 News articles
31 new jobs posted - view here
Reading time: 15 min
Startup Funding
Digital Twins
Veerum, a Canadian startup, raised $12m in Series B funding. They are developing digital twins for heavy industry including industrial construction, allowing maintenance workers or construction crews to inspect facilities using virtual reality, allowing them to ‘walk’ through the jobsite allowing construction progress monitoring, management and quality control and assurance. More here.
Construction Vehicles
91Trucks, an Indian startup, raised ~$5m in funding. They are building a vehicle marketplace and review platform for commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and three wheelers and have launched specialised platforms such as 91Infra for commercial vehicles used on construction sites. More here.
Safety
1Breadcrumb, an Australian startup, raised $4.5m in a SAFE round. They have developed a workforce and process management platform which streamlines the process of collecting, reviewing, storing and updating of critical safety documentation. More here.
[View open jobs - 1 role in Marketing]
Notes:
1Breadcrumb is acquiring SignOnSite, another Australian construction safety startup which automates day to day safety processes allowing workers to complete safety forms on their phones.
Wearables
Tended, a UK startup, raised £2m in funding. They are developing wearables for the construction and rail industry which allow organisations to geofence areas and map out safe work zones, alerting workers when they cross virtual boundaries and providing real time worker locations. More here.
[View open jobs - 1 role in Sales]
Notes:
This solution offers site access control and geofencing updates in real time, allowing the system to adapt instantly as site conditions change.
For railway corridors, the technology provides safe working zones with 1-2 cm accuracy, which is needed for ensuring safety on live railway sites.
On railway sites in Victoria, Australia, we require incredibly rigorous safety inductions and each site has multiple spotters due to the risk of rail collisions.
It also appears that this technology includes devices that can be attached to machinery and plant equipment, enabling the creation of danger zones around them for enhanced safety (usually you’ll have a spotter monitoring blind spots for every piece of moving plant).
Infrastructure Monitoring
Lightsonic, a Norwegian startup, raised €3.3m in funding. They have developed a solution which transforms existing fiber optic networks into real time, high resolution, city scale sensing systems providing monitoring of critical infrastructure such as water and gas transmission lines, telecom networks, energy grids and subsea assets. More here.
[View open jobs - 1 role in AI / Machine Learning, 1 role in Data]
Notes:
Fiber optic cables are used to provide high-speed data transmission and internet connectivity.
Their software analyses light signals along these cables to detect acoustic, temperature, and vibrational changes.
This allows telecom lines to double as environmental and security sensors across urban and industrial systems without requiring any hardware modifications.
Tendering / Bidding
Scalera, a Swiss startup, raised $6.5m in Seed funding. They are developing an AI based tender assistant which can parse complex tender documents, match supplier catalogs to line items, create requests for quotes and assist contractors with generating bids faster. More here.
Drones
Quantum Systems, a German startup, raised €160 million in funding. They have developed drones and intelligence systems which are used for defense, emergency services, and industry applications including mapping infrastructure in digital twin and disaster prevention applications. More here.
Notes:
Drone systems are increasingly targeting military and defense applications given their use in the Ukraine War.
These providers are additionally finding traction in the infrastructure sector for large scale mapping and surveying activities as well as digital twins or construction progress monitoring applications.
Other
P-1AI, a San Francisco startup, raised $23m in Seed funding. They are developing an AI system which is designed to automate cognitive tasks typically performed by human engineers in the design of physical systems such as interpreting design requirements, generating concepts, conducting design evaluations, and selecting appropriate engineering tools. More here.
Notes:
This solution is not construction specific however they are developing AI tools which can impact how systems which are used in construction and infrastructure are designed and engineered.
An example is their AI would be able to design and engineer building systems.
If successful, this could impact the way in which engineering design is undertaken.
Note: As a modification on Field Materials' funding announcement last week, they raised $10.5m in Series A funding (not $3.5m in a Seed Extension round).
Policy and Regulatory Changes
US
US House votes to rescind approval for California heavy-duty truck rules
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to rescind the Environmental Protection Agency's 2023 approval of California's plans to require a rising number of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks.
The House also voted to repeal an EPA waiver issued for California's “Omnibus” low-NOx regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines.
The U.S. House is set to vote separately on Thursday to bar California's landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 that has been adopted by 11 other states.
Notes:
This may have an impact in the deployment of charging infrastructure.
Trump administration releases funds for low-income HVAC program
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week released $400 million in previously held-up funds for a low-income, HVAC-focused program.
The program was allocated $4 billion for this fiscal year, but 10 percent remained unspent when the Department laid off its entire staff in early April.
Trump budget would decimate climate, renewables funding
The White House unveiled a preliminary fiscal 2026 budget.
It would reduce non defense discretionary spending by $163 billion, or 23 percent below the currently enacted level.
The budget proposes to aggressively slash what the administration calls the “Green New Scam,” including a $22.5 billion cut to funding enacted by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy would see its budget impacted under the proposal, with a $2.5 billion reduction.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, would be effectively eliminated with a cut of more than $4 billion.
DOE delays compliance with Biden energy rule for federal buildings
The Energy Department is delaying the compliance date of a Biden-era rule.
The rule established energy standards for new construction and major renovations of federal buildings and was aimed at reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.
The compliance date is stayed until May 1, 2026.
US will revise Biden-era offshore oil and gas bonding rule
The Trump administration will revise a Biden-era rule that required the oil and gas industry to provide nearly $7 billion in new financial assurances to cover the cost of decommissioning old infrastructure.
It was to reduce the risk to taxpayers in the event the driller could not cover the cost to dismantle equipment.
Illinois Senators Consider Lifting Ban on New Nuclear Reactors
Illinois lawmakers are talking about ending the state’s ban on new construction of large nuclear reactors.
If enacted, Senate Bill 1527 would remove regulations prohibiting the construction of new nuclear power reactors with a nameplate capacity of more than 300 megawatts of electricity.
The California Safe Homes Act is designed to make homes safer from wildfires while increasing access to insurance.
The Act will fund critical mitigation efforts, including:
Fire-safe roofing
Defensible space within the first five feet of a home, also known as “zone 0”
Community-level wildfire protection strategies
House bill would rescind $3.1B from transportation equity grants
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure advanced legislation last week to permanently rescind unobligated funds from the Neighborhood Access and Equity program.
States sue Trump administration for blocking the development of wind energy
States are challenging an executive order Trump signed during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore.
They say Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process.
US adds 10 more mining projects to fast-track permitting list
The projects, which would supply copper, palladium and other minerals, have been granted FAST-41 status.
This is a federal initiative launched in 2015 to streamline approvals of critical infrastructure.
The Order directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce the amount of time it takes to approve domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing plants.
It does so by eliminating duplicative and unnecessary requirements, streamlining reviews, and working with domestic manufacturers to provide early support before facilities come online.
DOE's loan office to back coal, top official says
The Loan Programs Office will be a "tool" to prop up coal plants as well as build nuclear and geothermal plants.
The agency will lean on DOE loans to meet data-center energy demand at the 16 agency sites identified last month that could host data centers and energy infrastructure located next door.
Interior's pledge to complete environmental reviews for energy projects within 28 days could create more legal challenges from rushed decisions.
DOL orders staff not to enforce Biden-era independent contractor rule
Field staff for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division will not apply the agency’s 2024 independent contractor rule.
Instead, the department directed staff to apply a 2008 fact sheet as well as a 2019 opinion letter to any matters in which no payments for back pay or civil monetary penalties have been made.
China
China Imposes Export Controls on Medium and Heavy Rare Earth Materials
This imposes export controls on specific medium and heavy rare earth materials.
This move is likely to have both immediate and strategic impacts on global supply chains.
Two materials restricted are dysprosium and terbium.
These are heavy rare earth elements used in high-temperature-resistant permanent magnets, which are essential components in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and defense systems.
This is not an export ban, but rather an export restriction.
Notes:
This could have an impact on manufacturing construction investment as well as wind turbine deployment.
It could result in policies to increase material sourcing and refining in the US to secure their supply chain.
The UK government has proposed more measures to streamline the nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) regime.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) will be amended to remove the statutory pre-application consultation requirement for developers proposing a development consent order.
It will no longer be mandatory for developers in the pre-application stage of a DCO to consult prescribed bodies, local authorities, the local community or persons with an interest in the land.
This could reduce the typical time spent in pre-application by up to 12 months.
India
Chennai Corporation to impose fines up to ₹5 lakh for construction and demolition rule violations
Dumping construction and demolition (C&D) waste in public spaces can now attract fines from ₹1,000 to ₹5 lakh.
Construction sites over one acre or buildings taller than 70m must be barricaded with 10m sheets while smaller sites require 6m barricades.
Australia
What Australia’s Vote Means for Climate in a Major Coal Economy
The leading candidates, from the Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition, have starkly different climate and energy policies.
Labor is proposing to keep ramping up renewables and on the other you have a conservative coalition pushing nuclear.
Nuclear power plants can take more than a decade to build, while renewables can be rolled out in months.
Notes:
The Australian Labor party won the election which will likely result in a continued renewable buildout.
Taiwan
Taiwan proposes mandatory solar standards for new, expanded buildings
Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has released a draft regulation that aims to require PV installations.
If enacted, it would require qualifying new, expanded, or renovated buildings above a certain size to install at least 1 kW of solar capacity per 20 square meters of floor area.
Under the proposed rules, installations could be mounted on rooftops, awnings, or ground-level infrastructure.
National Infrastructure Projects & Priorities
Global
OpenAI to Invest in Efforts to Build AI Infrastructure Overseas
Under a new program OpenAI will partner with national governments to help with efforts like building out data center capacity.
The funding for the partnerships will come from OpenAI, as well as the governments in each country.
The goal is for the company to pursue 10 international projects to start.
US
Trump Says California’s High-Speed Train to Lose Federal Funding
Trump said the federal government would not finance California’s high-speed rail project.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority in 2008 said the high-speed rail line would cost $33 billion and begin service by 2020.
Only about 119 miles of the planned 776-mile railroad have commenced construction.
The estimated costs have soared to as much as $128 billion.
‘We’re not dabbling here’: AWS backs infrastructure investments as revenues soar
Amazon continued to invest heavily in its technology infrastructure, reporting nearly $25 billion in capital expenditures.
This is to satisfy demand for cloud and AI services.
The hyperscaler swallowed up 29% of an estimated $94 billion in enterprise spending on infrastructure services,
Google pours billions into AI, cyber and infrastructure expansion
Google continued to increase spending on technical infrastructure reporting capital expenditures of $17.2 billion, primarily in servers and data centers during a Q1 2025 earnings call.
The company plans to increase capital expenditures by more than 40% to roughly $75 billion this year.
Less than 24 hours after the earnings call, Google announced a $3 billion commitment to build out facilities in Virginia and Indiana.
Related:
China launches 182 major infrastructure projects in Q1, in boost for economy
In the first three months, the number of large-scale projects surged by 41.8 percent year-on-year.
Ground was broken on 182 major projects each valued at more than 1 billion yuan ($138 million).
The total investment in these projects reached 340 billion yuan, up 39.1 percent year-on-year.
China
China sees 47.6-pct rise in NEV charging infrastructure facilities
The number of charging infrastructure facilities in China increased 47.6 percent year on year by the end of March 2025.
The cumulative number of charging infrastructure facilities nationwide reached nearly 13.75 million.
This figure included 3.9 million public charging points for NEVs and 9.85 million private charging installations.
Highways now feature 38,000 charging points across 98 percent of service areas nationwide.
UK
Orsted Cancels Major UK Offshore Wind Farm as Costs Jump
The Hornsea 4 project, with a capacity of 2,400 megawatts, would have been one of the world’s biggest offshore wind farms.
This has been cancelled as Orsted said the project no longer made economic sense.
Chile
TotalEnergies seeks permit for $16 billion green hydrogen project in Chile
The project, run by the Chilean subsidiary TEC H2 MAG, is expected to begin operations in 2030.
It would include a wind farm, seven electrolysis centers for green hydrogen, a desalination plant, an ammonia plant, and maritime infrastructure for shipping.
Africa
Zambia Regulator Approves $270 Million Congo Transmission Link
Zambia’s energy regulator approved the construction of a high-voltage transmission line to link its copper rich North-Western province to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Zambia’s copper mines have been forced to look outside of the country for electricity supply after a historic drought slowed output from hydroelectric dams.
The nation last year asked mining companies to cut demand, while some have managed to secure imports from South Africa.
News
Turner launches offsite manufacturing company
Turner Construction has launched a new business focused on offsite manufacturing and construction.
The company sees the need for offsite techniques with projects such as semiconductor fabs, data centers and EV manufacturing plants.
Turner also recognizes its opportunity in other segments, such as sports and public assembly projects, healthcare and aviation.
It will also offer a suite of modular products such as central utility plants, MEP skids and racks, modular bathroom pods and clean rooms and IT closets.
Dissecting the cross-border M&A exit route for European proptech
There have been 24 M&A deals in proptech and contech recorded on PitchBook since the 30 December 2024 Hubble announcement.
In 2024 there was a record-breaking £11 billion transacted (PropTech) with European-headquartered acquirees.
The Top 50 AI Startups in Real Estate
This list covers design & preconstruction, construction and renovation.
Ten physical realities the energy transition must tackle (McKinsey)
Caterpillar pledges $100M to upskill workforce in AI era
Here’s why tariff shock could hit AI’s data center boom
Texas is ground zero for a robot revolution in solar panel installations
Safeguarding the Energy Transition: Cybersecurity's Role in Defending Critical Infrastructure
The energy transition is resulting in new digital systems such as renewables, EV infrastructure, smart buildings, and industrial automation which are coming under threat.
Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Quietly Revolutionizing the Energy System
The current (depreciated) value of the U.S. electric grid, comprising power plants, wires, transformers and poles, is roughly US$1.5 to $2 trillion.
To replace it would cost almost $5 trillion.
If I missed anything this week, please reply and let me know! I’ll make sure to include it next week.