Costain twins with Microsoft in digital tie-up

11 March 2021


UK-based infrastructure solutions provider Costain is partnering with Microsoft to digitally optimise the way UK infrastructure is designed, delivered and operated.

Costain’s engineering skills will combine with Microsoft’s secure cloud, machine learning and data-analytics to create digital twins that will help infrastructure owners and operators create and extract value from their assets.

Costain chief digital officer Nathan Marsh, said: “Clients are able to do things such as virtually and remotely test designs, weather scenarios, incident response, carbon-reduction schemes, maintenance and upgrade programmes with enhanced speed and accuracy. This helps ensure right first-time delivery, improved return on investment and minimises disruption to customers.”

Microsoft and Costain have already been partnering – together with Jacobs, Mott MacDonald, Bentley and Farrans – to develop a digital twin for the new Anglian Water Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA). This is hoped will optimise delivery and management of the water network throughout the pipeline’s lifecycle, providing Anglian Water with benefits in capital and operational expenditure.

The 500km network of interconnecting pipelines and associated infrastructure will convey water from areas of surplus in Lincolnshire to the drier south and east of the region.