THE DISPATCH
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY, CURATED DAILY.
688STORIES
PAGE 20 OF 29
Wiring the AI Economy: Construction Spending on Data Centers
Data center construction is booming to support AI infrastructure, creating tight labor markets and pushing construction companies to adopt new technologies faster. The massive spending on these projects is also reshaping how policymakers approach construction regulation and workforce planning.
California earmarks $848M for rail, road projects
California allocated $848 million for rail and road infrastructure projects, with $100 million dedicated to constructing a 5-mile BART tunnel between San Jose and Santa Clara. The funding supports regional transit expansion in the Bay Area.
FlatironDragados-led JV inks $691M Washington dam contract with USACE
FlatironDragados and Aecon won a $691M contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expand water storage and add fish passage facilities at the Howard A. Hanson Dam near Seattle. The joint venture will deliver additional capacity and environmental improvements to the existing dam infrastructure.
Prove It: What Surety Underwriters Seek in Contractors
Surety underwriters focus on three key factors when bonding contractors: strong financial position, capable management, and realistic growth plans. As projects get bigger and risks shift, contractors need to demonstrate solid capital, proven capacity to execute work, and trustworthy character to secure bonding support.
Agile Robots to deploy Google DeepMind foundation models on its humanoid
Construction Futures: March 2026 Economic Roundup
Construction industry momentum was already declining before geopolitical tensions with Iran drove up oil prices and increased economic uncertainty. The combination of weakening sector fundamentals and external shocks creates additional headwinds for builders and contractors.
Data center buildouts slowed late last year
Data center construction projects declined for the first time since 2020 despite continued heavy investment from major cloud providers and strong demand for computing capacity. The slowdown suggests potential constraints in the construction pipeline that could affect infrastructure development timelines.
Elon Musk to build advanced chip factories in Austin, Texas, for SpaceX and Tesla
Elon Musk plans to build a 100 million-square-foot chip manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, called Terafab, valued at up to $25 billion. The factory will produce semiconductors for both terrestrial and space applications serving SpaceX and Tesla.
Bechtel, Kiewit tapped for Japan-backed $33B Ohio power generation project
Bechtel and Kiewit have been selected to build a $33 billion power generation project in Pike County, Ohio, backed by Japanese investment to support a major new data center requiring 10 gigawatts of energy capacity. The project, announced in October, represents a significant infrastructure investment in the region.
Zoox sets new geographic milestones, product features for its robotaxi
Why connectivity is the bottleneck for BVLOS autonomous systems
Construction Backlog Indicator Rebounds in February, Contractor Confidence Grows
The Construction Backlog Indicator climbed to 8.1 months in February according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, signaling renewed optimism in the construction sector. This rebound suggests contractors have more work lined up, indicating growing confidence in project pipelines.
Agnikul Tests New Agnite Rocket Engine, Claims It Can Be 3D Printed in Just 7 Days
LEAP 71 and HBD produce 200 kN 3D printed aerospike rocket engine shown at TCT Asia 2026
CRAFT Method Gives 3D Printed Thermoplastics Spatial Control over Crystallinity
BASF starts up first production plant for 3D printed catalysts in Ludwigshafen
3 robotics trends from NVIDIA GTC 2026
Unitree IPO shows a real hardware business, but the humanoid case is still early
Suffolk to use video coaching platform for jobsite safety
Suffolk is adopting Arrowsight, a video coaching platform that helps improve jobsite safety by having human reviewers analyze worker behavior. The platform identifies both safe and unsafe practices on site, using human judgment rather than AI to provide targeted safety coaching.
How AI is spurring demand for skilled trade workers — not displacing them
AI adoption in construction is creating more demand for skilled trades rather than eliminating jobs, as companies need workers to implement and maintain digital systems. The technology revolution requires a physical workforce to execute the digital tools and infrastructure being deployed.
Walsh-Turner JV finishes $1.5B Ohio State University hospital
Walsh-Turner JV completed a $1.5B hospital construction project at Ohio State University, the largest single-facility project in the school's history. The 820-bed facility includes 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms.