2026年基础设施未来调研：互联系统如何重塑基础设施管理

Thefutureofinfrastructure:Howinterconnectedsystemsarereshapinginfrastructuremanagement

Asphysicalanddigitalassetsconvergeinthesystemsera,infrastructureshouldbeplanned,financed,protected,andoperatedasawhole

ByMichaelFlynn,KellyMarchese,WilliamD.Eggers

Article•7-minread•30September2026•DeloitteCenterforGovernmentInsights

Physicalanddigitalinfrastructurearenolongerseparatedomains.Transportationnetworksdependoncommunicationsnetworks.Digitalanddata

infrastructuredependsonpowersystemsandsupplychains.Waterutilitiesrelyonsensorsandoperationaltechnologies.Asthesesystemsbecomemoreinterconnected,artificialintelligenceisincreasinglycoordinatinghowtheyareplanned,operated,andmaintained.

Infrastructurehasevolvedintoaninterconnectedoperatingsystem;sotheinstitutionsresponsibleforitshouldevolvetoo.Infrastructureleadersarebeingaskedtolookbeyondbuildingmoreassets,towardfinancing,delivering,operating,andprotectingtheseincreasinglyinterconnectedsystems.

Deloitte’s2026FutureofInfrastructureSurveyshedslightonthisshift.Infrastructureleaderssurveyedacrossvariousregionsexpectincreasedinvestment

acrossawiderangeofinfrastructureassetclassesoverthenextthreeyears(see

methodology

).However,thedefiningchallengeisnolongersimplydecidingwhattobuild.Accordingtorespondents,governmentsalsoneedtodeterminehowinfrastructureprioritiescanbefinanced,delivered,operated,andsecuredtoaccountforthegrowinginterdependenciesacrosssectorsandjurisdictions.Moreover,thesurveyalsohighlightsthescaleofthisambition,aswellasthedistancebetweenitandthecurrentdeliverycapacity.

Whileinfrastructuresystemsarebecomingmoreintegrated,manyoftheinstitutionsresponsibleforplanning,financing,regulating,anddeliveringthemremainorganizedaroundindividualassetsandsectors.Today’sinfrastructurechallengesincreasinglystemnotonlyfromengineeringbutalsofromtheorganization’sabilitytomanagecomplexityacrossconnectedsystems.

Theconsequencesofthismismatcharealreadyvisibleininfrastructuredelivery.Manygovernmentscontinuetostruggletodeliverinfrastructureatthepaceandscaletheireconomiesrequire.Morethan1in10large-scalemega-andgiga-infrastructureprojectsglobally(valuedatmorethanUS$1billionand

US$10billion,respectively)facesignificantdelaysorcancellations.

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Respondentsrankcomplexpolicies,regulations,andpermittingprocessesasthetopimplementationchallenge.

Thisinstitutionalfrictionisonlypartofthepicture,however.Theconvergencethatisreshapingwhatinfrastructureshoulddoisalsoaffectingfinancing,resilience,andthetechnologyrequiredtooperateit.Capacitygapsthatweremanageablewheninfrastructureconsistedofdistinctassetshavebecome

strategicliabilitiesinaninterconnectedsetup.Thesegapsthatoncedelayedindividualprojectsnowaffecttheperformanceofentireinfrastructureecosystems.Thisisbecause,whileindividualassetsfailinisolation,issueswithininterconnectedsystemscantriggeracascadeoffailures.

Thesystemseraofinfrastructurehaschangedthenatureofrisksthatorganizationsface.Governmentsneedtoplan,finance,anddeliverinfrastructureasawholesystemtocreatesynergyinhowitisoperatedandgoverned.Thosethatdowillbeabletocapitalizeoninfrastructure’seconomicpotential.

Whatthesurveytellsus:Keydatainsights

·Infrastructureperformanceincreasinglydependsonacommonsetofdigitalcapabilities,includingdata,connectivity,controls,andanalytics.

Globally,69%ofrespondentsexpectincreaseddemandforsmart,connected,andresilienturbaninfrastructure;66%expectgreaterintegrationofdigitaltechnologiesintosocialandentertainmentvenues;and59%anticipatethatadoptionofadvancedtechnologiesininfrastructureand

transportationoperationswillhavesignificantimpactoninfrastructure.

·Investmentprioritiesbroaden,butmakingprojectsinvestableremainsachallenge.Respondentsexpectincreasedinvestmentsacrossinfrastructureassetclasses—digital,mobilityandtransportation,energyandwater,andsocialandentertainment.Butmakingprojectsinvestableremainsa

challenge:respondentscitebudgetaryconstraints(31%),unclearimplementationroadmapandreturnoninvestment(22%),limitedaccesstolong-term,reliablefundingsources(22%),andlackofprivatesectorparticipation(20%),aschallengestoinfrastructuredelivery.

·Institutionalfrictionisoneofthebiggestdeliverybottlenecks.Respondentscitecomplexpolicies,regulations,andpermittingprocesses(39%)asthemostsignificantchallengetoinfrastructuredelivery.Butinstitutionalfrictionalsomanifestsindifferentways,includingcomplexprocurement

processes(29%)andobtainingenvironmentalclearancesandreviews(27%).

·Resilienceprioritiesadvanceunevenly.Cybersecurityresilienceshowsthegreatestalignmentinconcern,action,andinvestment:Fifty-fivepercentofglobalrespondentsagreethatpublicandcriticalinfrastructureneedsstrongerprotectionfromcyberattacks,and60%ofgovernmentrespondents

reportstrengtheningcybersecurityandincidentresponseasthemostimportantcriticalinfrastructureinvestmentpriority.

·Physicalresilience—especiallyaddressingextremeweatherandnaturaldisasterthreats—showsagapbetweenconcernandaction:While56%ofgovernmentrespondentsidentifynaturaldisastersandextremeweatherasthegreatestthreattoinfrastructureresilience,only33%prioritize

investinginpreparedness.

·AIhasmovedbeyondexperimentation,butscalingAIrequiresbroadercapabilities.AIuseininfrastructureextendsbeyondthegatewayusecaseofpredictivemaintenancetoencompassvarioustasksacrosstheinfrastructurelifecycle,includingenergydemandforecasting,real-timeasset

monitoring,permitting,supplychainlogistics,andweather-relatedmodeling.Inthesurvey,34%ofrespondentscitethetechnologytalentgap—especiallyinAIandcybersecurity—asamajorimplementationbarrier.

·Infrastructureleadersacrossregionsrecognizetheimportanceofabroadertechnologystackrequiredformodernization.Executivesarelooking

beyondAItoawidertechnologyecosystemthatincludescleanorgreenenergy(47%),datasecuritytechnologies(39%),batteriesandenergystorage(37%),5G(31%),andcloudcomputing(28%).

Fiveshiftsshapingthenexteraofinfrastructure

Deloitte’spreviousinfrastructuresurvey,conductedin2022,revealedthattheinfrastructuresectorwasataturningpoint,buoyedbyhistoricinvestmentbutconstrainedbyexecutionchallenges.Eventoday,thesechallengesremain,butthecontexthasfundamentallychanged:Infrastructuresystemsarebecoming

moreinterconnected;AIisreshapinghowtheyareplannedandoperated;andgovernmentsincreasinglyneedtomanagealevelofcomplexitythattraditionalinfrastructuremodelswereneverdesignedtoaddress.

The2026surveyidentifiesfiveshiftsthatarereshapingthenexteraofinfrastructure.Individually,eachrepresentsanimportanttrend.Takentogether,thesefiveshiftsrevealhowinfrastructureisevolvingfromindividualassetstointerconnectedsystemsandwhatgovernmentsmustdotokeeppace.Weexploretheshiftsacrossfivechapters.

Chapter1:Infrastructureisbecomingasystemofsystems

Physicalanddigitalinfrastructureareconvergingintointerconnectedsystems,wheretheperformanceofindividualassetsincreasinglydependsonone

another.Thischapterexploreswhygovernmentsshouldmovefrommanagingindividualassetstoplanningandoperatinginfrastructureasanintegratedsystem.

Therealvalueofconnectedinfrastructureliesnotinoptimizinganyoneassetornetworkinisolation,butingivingleadersthevisibilityneededtounderstandcross-systemeffectsandcoordinatedecisionsacrossorganizationalandsectoralboundaries.Thedigital-energynexusisoneofthemostimportantexamplesinthesurveyofthisemergingsystem-of-systemsmodel.Butthelargerimplicationcertainlyextendsbeyondenergy,andsimilarrelationshipscanbeobservedinotherinfrastructureassets.

Thischapterexploreshowthisgrowinginterdependenceisreshapingthewaysinfrastructureisplanned,operated,andfinanced,andwhymanagingitasaconnectedsystemhasbecomeastrategicimperative.

Chapter2:Movingfromcapitalavailabilitytocapitalfit

Asinfrastructureneedscontinuetogrow,governmentbudgetsaloneareincreasinglystretchedtocoverthem.Therecordlevelsofprivatecapitalsittinginpensionfunds,withinsurers,andininfrastructurefundsseemlikeanobviousanswer.

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Yetthedatashowsthatthiscapitalisnotbeingconvertedinto

deliveredprojectsatthescalegovernmentsneed.

Theshortfallisrarelyaboutmoney.Toomanyprojectssimplyarenotyetinvestable:revenuemodelsareunclear,riskismisallocatedorcontestedbetweenpublicandprivatepartners,andgovernance—theinstitutionalcapacitytoprepareacredibleproject,runtransparentprocurement,andholddeliveryto

account—isoftenaweaklink.

Toaddressthesegaps,governmentsareadaptinghowtheysupportprojectsratherthantransferringmoreriskoutright.Modelssuchasavailabilitypaymentsandminimum-revenueguaranteesmatchgovernmentsupporttoanasset’sspecificrisk.Whilenewerpartnershipmodels,fromcollaborativedeliveryto

outcome-basedcontracts,arereplacingrigid,one-size-fits-allpublic-privatepartnerships.

Chapter3:Institutionalfrictionisslowinginfrastructuredelivery

Withinthecapacityframework,evenwhenfundingandintentexist,infrastructuredeliveryisregularlyslowedbycomplexprocessesandfragmentedcoordination.Theseextendbeyondmereadministrativeinconveniences.

Whenprocessesbecometoodifficulttonavigate,competitionnarrowsandsmallergovernmentsandfirmsareeffectivelylockedoutoftheinfrastructureecosystem.

Thischapterexploresinstitutionalfrictionasasystemicdeliveryproblem—onethatconcentratescapacityonorganizationsthatalreadyhavetheresourcestomanageit—andhowinstitutionalreformandAI-enabledmodernizationcanreducefrictionandexpanddeliverycapacity.

Chapter4:Infrastructureconvergenceredefinestheresiliencestrategy

Today,infrastructurehasevolvedintoaninterconnectedsystemofsystemsinwhichdigitalnetworks,operationaltechnologies,cloudplatforms,sensors,andAI-enabledcontrolsinteractcontinuously.Astheseinterdependenciesdeepen,disruptionsrarelyremainisolated.Afailureinonesystemcancascadeacrossothers,creatingconsequencesfarbeyondtheoriginalpointoffailure.

Therefore,resilienceshouldnolongerfocussolelyonprotectingindividualassets.Itrequiresanintegratedsystems-basedstrategythatensuresthecontinuityofcriticalservices,enablesrapidrecovery,andanticipatescascadingfailures.

Thischapterexploreswhy,inthisnewreality,cyberandphysicalresilienceshouldnotbetreatedasseparateagendas.Thesurveyhighlightsaclearinflectionpointinhowgovernmentsapproachinfrastructureresilience.Cybersecurityshowswhatbecomespossiblewhenriskrecognitiontranslatesintoinvestment

andaction.Extremeweatherresiliencerevealstheharderchallenge:broadawarenessofthethreat,butlittlemovementtowardtheinvestmentsneededtoreduceit.

Chapter5:AIisemergingasanoperatinglayerofconnectedinfrastructure

AIismovingbeyondisolatedusecasesandbecomingpartofinfrastructure’soperatingmodel,extendingintoearlierstagessuchasplanning,permitting,anddesign.

ScalingAIacrossthefullprojectlifecyclerequiresmoreandbettertools.Italsodependsonthetechnologyfoundationsandorganizationalcapabilitiesthatmanygovernmentagenciesarestilldeveloping.

ThischapterexploreshoworganizationsarescalingAIacrosstheinfrastructurelifecycleandwhyorganizationalcapability—ratherthantechnologyalone—willdeterminewhosucceeds.

Theinfrastructureimperative

Infrastructurehasalwaysdependedoncapitalandinstitutionalcapacity.Theinterconnectednessofinfrastructureaddsanotherrequirement—theabilitytomanageinterdependence.

Sinceourlastsurvey,thoseconnectionshavebecomeclearer.Interdependencenowshapesresiliencepriorities;resiliencedependsontechnology;andeachchoicecanaffectperformanceacrossthebroaderinfrastructureecosystem.

Governmentsmakingthegreatestprogressaretheonesinvestinginbuildingtheorganizationalandinstitutionalfoundationsneededtomanagethiscomplexity.Meetingthatimperativecandeterminetheirabilitytodeliveronthemostconsequentialpublicinvestmentprioritiesofthefuture.

Methodology

InMarch2026,Deloittesurveyed985infrastructureexecutivesacrossgovernment,theprivatesector,andnot-for-profitorganizationstounderstandhowleadersareapproachinginfrastructureinvestment,delivery,resilience,technology,AI,andfinancing.Thesurveyincludedrespondentsfrom21countries

acrossallmajorregionsandfourinfrastructureassetclasses:digitalinfrastructureandnetworks;energy,water,otherutilities;mobilityandtransportation;andsocialandentertainmentinfrastructure.

Respondentswereaskedabouttheircurrentpriorities,expectedshiftsoverthenextthreeyears,implementationchallenges,fundingandfinancing

expectations,resiliencerisks,andtheroleofAIandemergingtechnologiesacrosstheinfrastructurelifecycle.Resultswereanalyzedgloballyand,whererelevant,byregion,entitytype,governmentlevel,andinfrastructureassetclass.

BYMichaelFlynn

DeloitteIreland

KellyMarchese

DeloitteUnitedStates

WilliamD.Eggers

DeloitteUnitedStates

ENDNOTES

1.MaceGroup,“

Thefutureofmajorprogrammedelivery

,”accessedAug.13,2026;RobHakimian,“

11%ofworldwidemajorprojectsfacedelayor

cancellation,Macereportfinds

,”NewCivilEngineer,July3,2025.

2.MadelineShi,“

Globalprivatemarketfunds’drypowderdashboard

,”Pitchbook,Jan.16,2026.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TheauthorswouldliketoexpresstheirgratitudetoThirumalaiKannanandNicoleSaviaLuisoftheDeloitteCenterforGovernmentInsightsfordatavisualizationandoperationalsupport,respectively.

Theauthor