Amtrak partners with AI company making infrastructure industry more efficient

Amtrak partnering with AI company making infrastructure industry more efficient

Amtrak is partnering with a new construction company that harnesses artificial intelligence to see underground.

WASHINGTON - Amtrak is partnering with a new construction company that harnesses artificial intelligence to see underground.

AI is coming for all kinds of jobs and industries but here's one you may not have thought about. 

What we know:

The company is called Exodigo. They use artificial intelligence combined with 3D imaging, historical records, and satellite imagery to map what's underneath your feet. 

Building that kind of map without having to dig could be helpful to municipalities and companies looking to build new projects. Amtrak is one of them.

Exodigo provided a snapshot to Amtrak in 2024 as part of Amtrak's plans to replace both Bush River and Gunpowder River bridges in Maryland. Amtrak also plans to upgrade the tracks along this portion of the northeast corridor.

Big picture view:

Exodigo is expanding its global reach quickly. In the United States, they have projects in major cities like New York and Los Angeles where the volume and density of what's underground is much higher than the rest of the country. 

They also work with state departments of transportation, including Florida and Kansas. 

D.C.'s Procurement Office confirmed they do not have any contracts with Exodigo but the founder says they are currently targeting a number of projects around the capital region.

"It's very hard for government organizations to procure startup products because they have to change the way they procure. So typically, to help with that, we partner with engineering firms and that's specifically how we're contracted with Amtrak, for example.  But what we find out is all across the board, whether it's highways, dots, rail transit. Then those organizations understand they need to change how things are done," said Jeremy Suard, co-founder and CEO of Exodigo.

What's next:

Exodigo just raised an eye-popping $96 million in its second round of funding. The founder says they are the only construction-tech startup to raise this much money in the last twenty years. They plan to revolutionize the industry but there's a long way to go.

Suard says it's like using an MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound all at once to map out what's underground. It's supposed to save some of the estimated $100 billion spent on excavating and drilling before a project begins.