JULIEN MOUTTE
THE AI INTERVIEW
The infrastructure sector is not known for moving quickly. Bridges, tunnels and rail lines are designed to last a century or more, with the engineers who build them are trained to be methodical and precise. Nevertheless, AI is beginning to change the pace – and the nature – of the work.
Julien Moutte, Chief Technology Officer at Bentley Systems, which develops engineering and infrastructure design tools used on projects worldwide, is at the forefront of this transformation. He argues that AI presents an opportunity to do more meaningful work.
“ There is a massive demand for infrastructure and it’ s not going to slow down,” Julien contends.“ Climate change, population growth and conflict around the world mean there is not going to be a shortage of work anytime soon. What we know for sure is that we see a shortage of civil engineers.”
That shortage, Julien believes, makes the case for AI as a force multiplier – enabling fewer engineers to achieve more, faster and to a higher standard.
Collaboration at scale Bentley works with major engineering firms rather than directly with infrastructure operators. Its software underpins some of the most complex construction projects in the world, from airport expansions to urban rail networks.
One prominent example is Crossrail – the vast tunnelling and rail project in London that opened as the Elizabeth line in 2022. The project involved dozens of
JULIEN MOUTTE
TITLE: CTO COMPANY: BENTLEY SYSTEMS INDUSTRY: TECHNOLOGY
Julien joined Bentley Systems as VP Technology in 2021 after amassing more than two decades of tech leadership experience in startups, scaleups and large organisations. He was promoted to CTO in 2023.
engineering firms working simultaneously on different sections of the route. A project of that complexity requires a shared digital environment where models, drawings and data from multiple contractors can be reviewed together.
“ The owner and operator will want to procure the data from the different companies engaged on a project,” Julien explains.“ They need a place where they can bring all of the 3D models together, review them in a coherent and consistent way, and coordinate the different people working on it.”
22 June 2026