New construction technology releases: April 2025

Offerings this month cover preconstruction, a new reporting tool and a timber design platform.

Why do we set up new hires to fail?

The construction industry must move away from "sink-or-swim" training and instead provide early career workers with the coaching they need, writes consultant Fulton Cure.

Nvidia to spend $500B to manufacture AI chips in US

The chipmaker will work with TSMC, Foxconn, Amkor and others to produce its Blackwell chip and other artificial intelligence infrastructure in Arizona and Texas. 

Construction materials costs rise for third month on tariff pressures

Contractors are receiving price hike notices on several key inputs, complicating efforts to plan and budget new projects.

Gilbane taps NYC construction veteran as city business leader

Raquel Diaz, who previously worked for AECOM Tishman and Turner Construction, boasts more than $2.8 billion of project deliveries in the Big Apple.

The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check

The AI-driven data center boom has created demand for land, electricity and water, a dynamic that has spawned growing opposition from communities, utility grid operators and regulators.

Tariff tensions threaten Canada’s construction market

In response to a trade war that experts say will hurt contractors in both countries, some Canadian jurisdictions have blocked U.S. firms from bidding on government contracts.

Rosendin to demo robotic solar panel installers on Texas jobsite

The electrical contractor claims the tech will triple installation speeds, enhance worker safety and help address the industry’s persistent labor shortage.

Lane delivers $97.5M Florida road overhaul

The Connecticut-based firm widened lanes and improved on-ramps on I-275 near Tampa, Florida.

McCarthy starts $326M Phoenix airport job

The concourse will ease capacity issues at Terminal 3, which serves 25% of the airport’s passenger traffic annually.

Amid tariff turmoil, Novartis commits to spending $23B on US manufacturing

Novartis expects the new capacity will allow it to produce all of its key medicines “end to end” in the U.S., as the Trump administration buffets global trade with tariffs.

Construction planning falters

Uncertainty around impacts from tariffs likely weighed on development decisions, said Sarah Martin, associate director of forecasting at Dodge Construction Network.

Chicago asks city contractors to cut invoices by 3%

The request to firms that had already signed contracts, sent by the city’s chief procurement officer, could put significant strain on small builders.

Trades group sues federal government over PLA exemption

NABTU argues that a Biden-era executive order mandating project labor agreements is still in effect, despite the Trump administration’s moves to curb their use.

Trump’s immigration enforcement against employers has been gradual. That may soon change.

Worksite visits and arrests at smaller worksites are already happening. Operations against bigger employers, coupled with the threat of penalties, are likely fast approaching.

‘Unwelcome surge’ of project abandonments hits construction

Developers scrapped nearly twice as many private projects as public ones in March, according to the latest data from ConstructConnect.

Tulsa’s $252M ‘Stonehenge’ project begins

The I-44 and U.S. 75 interchange project is set to be the most expensive the Oklahoma DOT has ever undertaken.

Crossland Heavy moves into Texas

The Kansas-headquartered civil contractor aims to tap into demand for infrastructure projects in the fast-growing Dallas area.

Project engineer follows in her father’s footsteps

Bond Building Construction’s Destiny Fausta’s love of construction began when she visited jobsites as a young girl.

4 contech firms up their AI offerings

Both startups and established players are racing to bolster their solutions with artificial intelligence to help contractors work smarter, not harder.

How to use tech to fill construction’s skills gap

While new technology can be daunting for workers and managers alike, a venture chief says starting small and educating onsite personnel can help firms stay ahead of the curve.

AI agents emerge as potential targets for cyberattackers

Digital entities — such as bots and artificial intelligence agents — pose a growing cybersecurity risk for enterprises, researchers found.

Gilbane/Turner JV tops out $2.1B Buffalo Bills stadium

Speakers at an event celebrating the achievement touted the job's project labor agreement and employment of union workers.

Duffy defends DOT grants pause, pledges not to hold up projects

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also spoke about the importance of permit reform in a recent hearing and promised to take a “nonpartisan view” of infrastructure funding.

Tariffs will change the way projects are financed, delivered

Rising material costs from President Donald Trump’s trade war are altering how deals are structured and jobs are executed, writes a construction executive.