A mixed industrial jobsite with drones surveying, a large gantry 3D printer producing concrete walls and data center buildings under construction.
Boise, Idaho, September 6, 2025
The construction sector is moving from pilots to routine use of advanced tools as drones, large-scale 3D printing and data‑center builds reshape jobsites. Drones and AI deliver georeferenced models, thermal inspections and automated volumetrics for progress tracking and safety. Gantry and robotic 3D printers cut stages, reduce waste and speed low‑rise and repeatable projects. Meanwhile, resilient data center construction demands tighter sequencing, redundant utilities and specialized MEP work. A major $15 billion semiconductor expansion in Boise, Idaho exemplifies how industrial-scale projects accelerate demand for technology, skilled crews and integrated site infrastructure.
Top line: The construction industry is rapidly moving new technologies from pilot tests into everyday practice. State transportation agencies now rely heavily on drones for site documentation and safety oversight, 3D printing is scaling for low-rise and modular work, and demand for modern data centers is pushing builders to change methods and materials. A major semiconductor maker has also launched a $15 billion expansion near Boise that will be among the largest construction projects in the state.
Rising project complexity and tighter timelines are forcing contractors and owners to adopt technologies that speed work, trim cost, and improve compliance. Three developments stand out as transformational for job sites: drone-enabled site monitoring, 3D construction printing, and an intense focus on data-center construction.
Drones and AI are now central to daily operations on many construction jobs. Across multiple state transportation departments, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are used for high-resolution imagery, mapping, and real-time visual intelligence. Agencies fly drones to document progress, create georeferenced site models, perform volumetric measurements, and produce overlays that compare built conditions to digital models. These capabilities help teams spot delays and critical issues sooner and support faster approvals during owner-architect-contractor meetings.
Drones also reduce worker exposure to hazards by enabling remote inspection of facades, temporary shoring, tower cranes, deep excavations, and demolition areas. When fitted with infrared or thermal sensors, drones can reveal mechanical, electrical, and plumbing anomalies or hidden structural issues that are hard to find during manual walkthroughs. Imagery and video are routinely stored for audits, investigations, and regulatory records.
State agencies report a range of program structures: some centralize drone fleets under an aviation office, others let regional teams operate drones, and some operate hybrid models where pilots retain ownership and fly on request. The most common manufacturer in use remains a handful of widely available models, and several states are working through procurement and federal-approval challenges related to device sourcing and cloud connectivity. Agencies are adding LiDAR, thermal, and specialized payloads for measurement and mapping tasks.
Construction-scale 3D printing is expanding beyond demonstration builds. The market, valued in the tens of millions only a few years ago, is projected to grow rapidly and reach multi‑billion-dollar scale over the coming decade. Large gantry and robotic-arm systems now extrude concrete or geopolymer mixes directly from digital models to create walls, cores, and facade elements. These systems can deliver structures in days, reduce formwork and framing, and cut manual finishing needs.
Printing software optimizes material flow to reduce waste and support just-in-time logistics. Builders are embracing printing where labor shortages, disaster response, or repetitive layouts make quick, repeatable construction attractive — for housing, schools, hospitals, and emergency shelters. Prefabricated printed components are also appearing more often in hybrid construction workflows.
Data centers are among the busiest segments in commercial construction. New facilities require designs that support uninterrupted uptime, concurrent maintainability, and strong fault tolerance. That means redundancy in power and communications, perimeter security, backup diesel generation, and often on-site renewable sources. Location choices hinge on fiber connectivity, reliable energy, safety, and incentives. Major cloud and AI-focused companies are accelerating investments in next-generation data-center campuses, prompting contractors to adapt construction sequencing, resilience planning, and specialized site infrastructure.
In Boise, a major semiconductor maker has begun construction on a multibillion-dollar expansion to add fabrication and research space. The campus project will include roughly 15 new buildings, use about 8,000 tons of steel, and add a large office building, a 2,800-space parking garage, a water-treatment plant, and supporting infrastructure. The effort will scale to several thousand construction workers, multiple concrete batch plants, and onsite rock processing at peak pace. The new facility will be many times larger than the existing footprint and will coordinate with other regional manufacturing operations.
Drone imagery and 3D models are increasingly combined with third-party software to measure grades, calculate asphalt loads, create e‑tickets for crews, and overlay proposed work on existing underground utilities via augmented reality. AI-enabled analysis can perform cut-and-fill studies, monitor stockpile volumes, and flag alignment issues, cutting the need for repeat site visits and accelerating decision cycles.
Despite the benefits, agencies and contractors still face challenges: integrating new tools into existing workflows, securing approved procurement options, and building staff expertise. Some states have temporarily isolated drone devices from vendor clouds as a mitigation while exploring alternative suppliers that meet federal purchasing rules. Cost and capability gaps remain for some federally approved models, especially where LiDAR and advanced payloads are required.
Construction work now routinely blends airborne sensors, automated printing, and data-center-grade resilience planning. The result is faster schedules, leaner material use, safer inspection practices, and higher expectations for quality and uptime. As large industrial projects and public agencies scale these tools, the industry is likely to broaden use cases and raise baseline standards for how projects are planned and delivered.
Drones provide high-resolution imagery, mapping, and real-time visual intelligence that speed progress tracking, improve safety by enabling remote inspections, and allow teams to compare actual work to digital models for faster decisions.
Large-scale 3D printing can produce walls, structural cores, and facade elements faster and with less waste than traditional methods. It reduces formwork, speeds fabrication, and suits repeatable-layout projects or areas with labor shortages.
Data centers demand uninterrupted uptime and fault tolerance, which drives the need for redundant power and communications, enhanced security, and specialized site infrastructure. Builders must adapt sequencing, resilience measures, and materials to meet these needs.
Yes. Procurement rules, federal approvals for manufacturers, and data‑management concerns (such as cloud connections) complicate adoption. Agencies are evaluating approved device lists and then matching capabilities to project needs.
| Feature | Why it matters | Typical uses |
|---|---|---|
| Drones (UAS) | Fast, repeatable visual data; improved safety and documentation | Progress monitoring, mapping, volume calculations, thermal inspections, remote audits |
| 3D construction printing | Speed, waste reduction, complex geometry without extra tooling | Low-rise housing, modular components, repetitive-layout projects |
| Data-center construction | High resilience and uptime requirements reshape design and site work | Redundant power, fiber connectivity, secure perimeters, specialized mechanical systems |
| Site-level integrations | Combining data streams increases accuracy and speeds decisions | AR overlays, e-tickets, cut-and-fill analysis, coordinated procurement |
| Large projects | Drive demand for workforce, materials, and on-site infrastructure | Multiple cranes, onsite concrete plants, temporary services, thousands of workers |
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