AI Alters Infrastructure Project Management as Demand Surges for Smarter Solutions

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

17 Dec 2025

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The current surge in U.S. infrastructure development—from data centers to fiber networks—has exposed the limitations of traditional project management tools. As billions of dollars pour into telecommunications, renewable energy, and data center construction, companies are finding that spreadsheets and disconnected software systems cannot keep pace with the scale and complexity of modern infrastructure projects.

This increased demand has pushed companies like Sitetracker to the forefront of the industry. The cloud-based platform now serves nearly 400 customers who oversee billions in infrastructure investments, ranging from fiber network operators expanding broadband access to data center developers racing to meet the needs of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

A Career in Infrastructure Technology

Brant Carter, Sitetracker’s VP of Marketing, has spent his career at the intersection of construction and technology. Starting at Meridian Project Systems (the company behind the PROLOG brand), Carter spent more than 13 years at Trimble following its 2007 acquisition, focusing on building construction technology before joining Sitetracker in 2020.

“I’ve been involved in construction technology almost my entire career,” Carter says. At Sitetracker, he has held roles in telecommunications product strategy, served as VP of product, and now leads marketing for a company that has grown by anticipating and responding to major shifts in infrastructure demand.

From 4G to Fiber: Adapting to Each Wave

Sitetracker’s rise closely tracks major infrastructure buildouts in the U.S. and abroad. Founded during the 4G wireless expansion, the company quickly established itself as a key player in the deployment of new network infrastructure.

“We tapped into a couple of really significant tailwinds,” Carter says. “Ten years ago, there was a big deployment of 4G network equipment, and that’s how the company started. Then we hooked into the 5G wave at a very early stage, and we rode that wave all the way through.”

This early focus on wireless networks built a strong customer base. “We have a very deep market share in the wireless space as a result of that transition,” Carter notes, with nearly 400 customers now using the platform worldwide.

The current nationwide push to expand fiber-to-the-home services represents another major growth opportunity. “There is a massive deployment of fiber getting deployed to all the homes in the US now,” Carter says. “We tapped into that quite early on. Now I think we have almost 100 customers just in the fiber space globally, and in the US, 30 to 35 of the top 50 fiber operators are using Sitetracker.”

Sitetracker has also expanded into renewable energy, supporting electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and commercial solar projects. “Solar is probably our fastest growing business, although it’s not our biggest yet,” Carter adds.

Data Centers: The New Infrastructure Battleground

The rapid expansion of AI applications has triggered a data center construction boom. Developers must secure land, reliable power, and high-speed connectivity—all in a market where demand routinely exceeds available resources.

“When you build a data center, there are three things you need: land, power, and connectivity,” Carter explains. “Most data centers are prioritizing access to power right now, so they find places where they can get access to the grid or other generation facilities, and then they figure they can pull the network to those locations.”

This scramble for resources creates opportunities for Sitetracker’s customer base. On the connectivity front, the company supports providers building new fiber backbones to remote data center sites. On the power side, strained electrical grids have increased the need for renewable energy integration and complex power purchase agreements.

For data center developers, Sitetracker provides project management capabilities that span the entire lifecycle: from pipeline management and site evaluation, through due diligence and permitting, to construction management and ongoing operational asset oversight.

“We have a set of capabilities where you can prioritize all your candidate sites and perform all the actions needed to get those sites ready for construction,” Carter says. “That’s where we see the most uptake in our product right now.”

Persistent Obstacles in Infrastructure Deployment

Despite advances in technology, infrastructure projects still face significant hurdles. Permitting remains a major source of delays, as local governments struggle to process a growing volume of applications.

“Permits are a huge problem, and they delay projects,” Carter says. “A lot of the cities that need to issue permits right now don’t have the bandwidth or capacity to deal with the demand being put on their communities.”

Fiber deployment presents additional complications, especially when existing infrastructure limits access. “If they’ve just repaved a road, you’re probably not going to get permission to dig it up, or you’re going to have a lot of remediation work,” Carter explains.

Accessing utility poles is another challenge. “The utility pole owners don’t necessarily even know or have good records of what’s on there. You’re taking a big risk, and there might be relocations you hadn’t accounted for. So a lot of our customers just decide we’re going underground—it’s more predictable.”

AI Drives Smarter Project Management

To address these challenges, Sitetracker and other software providers are integrating AI to make project management more responsive and efficient. The company’s recent launch of Sitetracker Scout, an AI assistant, allows users to query project data using natural language and receive actionable insights.

“Scout allows you to get better insights into your data by working with it naturally,” Carter says. “Many people are used to having a conversation with their data set now, and you can certainly do that with Scout.”

Scout doesn’t just analyze data—it can take action. “Scout will make recommendations and say, ‘Did you know that this permit is nearing expiration? Do you want me to send an email to the permitting authority asking for an extension?’ It can perform those operations.”

The platform is also being enhanced to manage unstructured data such as photos and documents. “With AI, you can skip the organizational step and have it do it automatically,” Carter says. “It can understand photos, read PDF documents, and fill important information into the structured data set.”

This addresses a common issue for field teams: collecting large volumes of photographic evidence or documentation, which often becomes difficult to organize and use. “With AI, it can index and track everything for future intelligence,” Carter adds.

Changing How Teams Access Project Intelligence

AI is rapidly altering how infrastructure teams interact with project data. Instead of relying on static reports, users can now ask targeted questions and receive immediate, relevant answers.

“The idea of going to a report menu, finding your report, scanning with your eyes—I think those days are numbered,” Carter predicts. “People will now just ask for what they want and expect to get it.”

For example, rather than running multiple reports, users can simply ask for a list of overdue pre-construction activities, upcoming deadlines, or vendors responsible for critical deliverables.

AI can also uncover patterns and risks that might otherwise go unnoticed. “The AI can infer patterns and identify risks—for example, that because you’re working in this jurisdiction, you might incur certain project risks you hadn’t considered, based on historical data,” Carter explains.

The Road Ahead for Infrastructure Management

As infrastructure development accelerates across sectors, demand for advanced project management tools is only increasing. The combined pressures of AI-fueled data center construction, federal broadband initiatives, and renewable energy mandates are making projects more complex and the stakes higher.

For Sitetracker and competitors, ongoing success will depend on their ability to help customers manage this complexity—coordinating stakeholders, navigating regulatory hurdles, and maintaining momentum on long-term projects. AI integration is quickly becoming a necessity, not just an advantage, as companies seek faster, more accurate insights and automation.

The fundamental challenge for infrastructure developers remains: managing multi-year projects with diverse stakeholders and regulatory requirements. With the right tools and technology, however, these projects become more manageable and have a higher likelihood of on-time, on-budget completion in a highly competitive environment.