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🌍 CEFS Weekly Briefing | 19 May 2025

🌍 CEFS Weekly Briefing | 19 May 2025

Your trusted signal in a noisy infrastructure world

Luke Boustead
May 19, 2025

🎯 Weekly Theme: Intelligence Meets Infrastructure

The lines between digital innovation and physical infrastructure are blurring fast. From AI-powered design tools to cyber threats targeting energy grids, the systems we build are becoming smarter — and more vulnerable. At the same time, major global projects are restarting, rethinking, and reaching new heights. This week is a wake-up call: the infrastructure of tomorrow demands both digital foresight and on-the-ground delivery.

🔧 Action point: If you’re leading or reviewing projects, ensure your team understands the digital systems layered into the physical asset — not just during design, but across operations, maintenance and risk.

🚀 Future-focused engineers know: mastery of tomorrow’s tools starts with sharp awareness today.

⚡ Planning, Policy & Power Moves

ICE tackles megaproject delays: The Institution of Civil Engineers has launched a consultation exploring how better governance can cut waste and boost delivery on large projects.
Rail link talks spark cross-border ambition: The UK and Switzerland are exploring a direct rail link via the Channel Tunnel — early-stage but symbolically powerful.
Vancouver’s artificial port terminal: Canada is planning a 320-acre artificial island to expand port capacity, with RFQs due in July.
Changi Terminal 5 breaks ground: Singapore has restarted work on its $3.5bn airport terminal, paused since COVID — a long-awaited leap in aviation capacity.

🧠 AI & Automation in Practice

GCHQ warns on AI cyber risks: The UK's intelligence agency says AI is fuelling a new era of infrastructure threats — from grid hacks to operational sabotage.
US energy push for AI era: Sixteen federal sites have been earmarked for fast-track data centres and power generation to support AI’s massive energy appetite.
Chinese solar inverters raise alarm: Undocumented cellular modules in imported solar gear may allow unauthorised remote access — prompting urgent reviews across renewables.

🌪️ Climate Resilience & Risk

England’s canals under pressure: Experts warn that funding cuts could risk failure of locks and dams — with climate change already straining the system.
Mumbai’s sponge city model: A bold blend of wetlands, parks, and open drains is proposed to combat flash flooding in India’s financial capital.
AI meets flood management: West Yorkshire trials an AI-based model to predict and manage stormwater flows, potentially transforming catchment-scale flood response.

🚇 Infrastructure in Motion

Direct UK-Switzerland rail explored: Government agencies are jointly assessing feasibility, with border control and tunnel access top of mind.
Changi Airport rises again: After years on hold, Singapore’s mega-terminal is back on track — targeting a mid-2030s opening with a 50m/year passenger boost.

💡 Strategy, Leadership & Reform

Mott MacDonald calls for deeper pay gap transparency: A leading EDI voice argues it’s ‘common sense’ to report on disability and ethnicity pay gaps — not just gender.
Bangkok collapse prompts legal action: Seventeen arrests follow a high-rise failure during an earthquake — the only building in the city to collapse.
ICE megaproject review opens to engineers: Don’t just read the ICE green paper — contribute to it. Help shape the way major UK infrastructure is governed.

🔗 References & Further Reading
Explore more from this week’s top stories: