Bentley’s New AI-Enabled Open Applications Deliver 10x Faster Project Completion

• 1 November 2025
• Construction Focus
• 1590 Views

New OpenSite+, Substation+ use AI, automation, and collaboration to speed work as demand strains engineering capacity.

Demand for new infrastructures is growing faster than engineers can design and build them. By 2030, nearly 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas, placing immense pressure on already-strained resources.

Bentley Systems has introduced a couple of Open Applications that are purpose-built to address this engineering capacity gap.

Tools like OpenSite+ and OpenUtilities Substation+ are now equipped with intelligence (AI) to help with engineering workflows from the start.

Traditional CAD-based workflows rely on manual, time-consuming processes, particularly in drawing production. This is where AI is transformative, according to Ian Rosam, product management director for Bentley’s civil engineering applications.

Rather than treating artificial intelligence as an add-on, Bentley has embedded large language models (LLMs) trained on engineering-specific knowledge, like building codes and environmental rules. The result is a fundamental mindset shift in how engineers work.

For example, in software like OpenSite+, an engineer can now use natural language prompts—typed or spoken—to execute complex calculations that the AI contextually understands. They don’t have to type in complicated code or formulas. (read more)

OpenSite+, the first in this next-generation lineup, enables site engineers to work dramatically faster by automating tedious tasks. The software delivers projects up to 10 times faster without sacrificing accuracy. It’s an all-in-one solution: data-centric, digital twin-native, and AI-powered, with integrated drainage design and automated drawing production.

Another new product with an AI feature is OpenUtilities Substation+. It uses intelligent 3D modeling, AI-enabled design assistance, and collaborative workflows to ensure aging infrastructure can meet today’s demands.

Bentley is also bringing these AI capabilities to existing infrastructure engineering applications, starting with OpenRoads Designer and OpenRail Designer for modeling road and rail projects.

Bentley Copilot has also been added to these applications, while a new AI tool automatically organizes labels on complex drawings with a single click, eliminating overlapping text and making drawings easier to read—saving significant time during the review and revision process.

Bentley’s solution also employs machine learning to automatically optimize label placement, leader line length, text rotation, and spacing. AI-powered automation takes the tedium out of producing drawings while maintaining the consistency and quality that contractors and regulators require.

What makes infrastructure AI different from consumer applications? Specifically, “infrastructure context”—the layered understanding of design intent, environmental constraints, historical data, and engineering logic that transforms AI into an engineer’s assistant.

Furthermore, Bentley also safeguards its software users’ intellectual property. Users can choose to contribute data for AI training that benefits the broader user community, but Bentley doesn’t use their data without permission.

• AI
• Bentley Systems
• AI-enabled open
• Copilot