AECOM has partnered with Nodes & Links to “revolutionize” project insights by harnessing AI to deliver real-time intelligence to infrastructure teams
The Fortune 500 company, which delivers projects across transportation, energy, water and sustainability, has, like much of the industry, faced a persistent challenge: outdated data.
Reports can take weeks to compile and analyze, meaning project teams operate in a constant state of lag. By the time project director gets an update, conditions on-site have likely changed.
In an industry where delays cost millions and sustainability targets grow more ambitious, relying on outdated information is no longer an option.
The problem was not just data lag; it was the ripple effects that followed:
- Misalignment across teams: When teams are working from different versions of the truth, projects veer off track.
- Reactive decision-making: Problems escalate before teams can respond.
- Sustainability as an afterthought: Carbon is rarely factored into real-time decision-making.
Delays don’t just mean lost time; they waste opportunities. The ability to identify risks before they escalate and adjust strategy in real time separates high-performing projects from those struggling to keep up.
AI-powered project controls in real time
AECOM turned to Nodes & Links to eliminate the delays in turning raw project data into actionable information. Instead of waiting weeks for reports, teams now have near-live project visibility, allowing faster, smarter decision-making.
With AI handling the heavy lifting, AECOM’s project teams can now:
- Access insights instantly: AI processes and structures project data in real time, eliminating manual delays.
- Compare project scenarios faster: Real-time insights help teams model cost, time, and risk with high accuracy.
- Align teams and stakeholders: A single source of truth eliminates miscommunication.
But the biggest breakthrough came in an area where project teams have long struggled to integrate real-time insights: sustainability.
Bringing carbon into the equation
For decades, project teams have made decisions based on two primary constraints: cost and time. But what about carbon?
Traditionally, sustainability has been measured and reported on after the fact, making it nearly impossible to adjust course in real time. Now, Nodes & Links enables AECOM to track carbon impact live, alongside cost and schedule trade-offs, without extra effort from teams.
Nodes & Links’ AI integrates carbon insights into existing project schedules, providing an instant view of a project’s carbon profile without requiring additional steps or inputs.
With carbon now embedded into project controls, teams can ask new, critical questions:
- What’s the carbon cost of accelerating this phase of the project?
- If we delay an activity, how does it affect our carbon footprint?
- Would a small cost increase here significantly reduce environmental impact?
Carbon is no longer separate; it’s at the heart of project strategy.
“AECOM is transforming how clients manage carbon. Real-time AI-driven insights help them make sustainable decisions at the right time, not months too late. Partnering with Nodes & Links has made sustainability an actionable priority, not just a goal,” said Nina Palmieri, project director at AECOM.
Establishing a new standard for project controls
The partnership between AECOM and Nodes & Links isn’t just about adopting AI; it aims to set a new standard for how major infrastructure projects are managed.
- Real-time information instead of weeks-old reports.
- Faster, more informed scenario analysis.
- Carbon-conscious decision-making integrated into project delivery.
“We can’t predict exactly what will happen on every project, but what we can do is ensure project teams have the right data at the right time to make the best possible decisions,” said Richard Newey, head of risk & integrated controls at AECOM.
“AI allows us to do that at a scale and speed we’ve never seen before.”
