Study: Energy Operators Accelerate Digital Twin and AI Adoption Amid Data Integration Challenges

Energy and infrastructure operators are stepping up investment in digital twins and artificial intelligence as pressure mounts to improve asset performance, reduce downtime and strengthen system-wide resilience, according to new research.

A study commissioned by Bentley Systems and conducted by analyst firm Verdantix highlights a clear acceleration in digital transformation across energy, mining, transport and water infrastructure sectors. More than 70% of organisations surveyed expect to increase spending on Digital Twin technologies within the next two years, underscoring their growing role in infrastructure strategy.

Artificial intelligence is also becoming embedded in day-to-day operations. The research shows that half of respondents are already using AI for asset inspections, while over 40% have deployed predictive models to anticipate equipment failures before they occur. This shift reflects a broader move away from reactive maintenance towards condition-based and predictive asset management.

However, the study also identifies a significant structural constraint: fragmented data environments. More than two-thirds of executives cited disconnected systems and siloed digital platforms as the main barrier to improving operational performance. These limitations make it difficult to generate integrated, real-time insights across complex infrastructure networks.

Despite these challenges, momentum around resilience planning is strong. Over 80% of organisations have either implemented or are developing formal infrastructure resilience strategies. Yet many continue to struggle with execution, largely due to the separation of engineering, operational and environmental datasets across legacy systems.

Industry analysts argue that this gap between ambition and execution is now one of the sector’s defining issues. While organisations increasingly recognise the importance of resilience, they often lack the integrated digital foundations required to deliver it at scale.

The concept of the “open digital twin” is emerging as a potential solution. Bentley Systems promotes open architectures that bring together engineering design data, operational inputs and environmental information into a unified, interoperable environment. This integration enables a shift towards more predictive and data-driven asset management approaches.

According to Chris Bradshaw, Chief Sustainability and Education Officer at Bentley Systems, integrating these previously isolated data streams allows operators to move beyond reactive maintenance and towards proactive optimisation and long-term planning.

Taken together, the findings point to a wider industrial transition. Across the energy and infrastructure landscape, organisations are increasingly leveraging AI and Digital Twin technologies to improve reliability, enhance efficiency and build more resilient operating models in the face of growing complexity.

Source: IndexBox report