In an interview, Harsh Pareek, Regional Sales Director – India & SAARC, Trimble Solutions, spoke with TimesTech about how technologies like digital twins, drones, and AI are transforming infrastructure development in India. He highlighted Trimble’s role in improving project efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration, and shared insights into overcoming adoption challenges while enabling smart city progress through innovative digital solutions.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: India is entering a new phase of infrastructure development. How are technologies like digital twins, drones, and AI redefining how large-scale projects are planned and executed in this new chapter?
Harsh: With bold vision and quick execution, India is about to enter a transformative era in infrastructure. Digital twins, drones, and AI are among the tools that are helping the nation transform complexity into clarity as it speeds up the construction of highways, metros, airports, and smart cities.
Through the creation of intelligent virtual copies of physical assets, digital twins are helping engineers make better decisions throughout a project by simulating real-world conditions. Drones have transformed site mapping and monitoring by quickly and safely gathering high-precision data from challenging terrain. Teams can foresee problems, maximise resources, and increase planning accuracy with the help of AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of data.
These technologies are not only improving workflows but also pushing the limits of what is feasible. India is constructing infrastructure that is more resilient to long-term performance, quicker to deliver, and easier to manage with improved visibility, cooperation, and control. With intelligence at its centre, the future is being constructed.
TimesTech: Traditional bottlenecks such as delays, rework, and cost overruns have long plagued infrastructure projects. How exactly are these emerging tools helping to address or even eliminate these issues on the ground?
Harsh: For decades, delays, rework and budget overruns have been persistent challenges in infrastructure projects. Often seen as unavoidable, these issues are now being tackled more effectively, thanks to a new generation of technology. Today, technologies like digital twins, drones, and AI are simplifying the process and improving clarity, speed, and accuracy at every stage of project completion.
With the help of digital twins, teams have access to a project’s whole lifecycle virtually, identifying any issues or design flaws before construction ever starts. This increases the accuracy of planning and lowers expensive rework.
Drones significantly reduce survey time by providing high-resolution data and real-time site updates, allowing for quicker and better decision-making. By analysing massive datasets to predict delays, detect risks early, and optimise resource allocation, AI further fortifies the process.
Together, these tools produce a closely linked workflow in which problems are found and fixed proactively as opposed to reactively. Inefficiency is eliminated as a result of fewer surprises on the job site, more efficient execution, and projects that remain on budget and on schedule.
TimesTech: Can you share specific examples or case studies, either from India or globally, where Trimble’s platforms played a critical role in improving project efficiency, safety, or decision-making?
Harsh: Trimble’s platforms have significantly increased project accuracy and efficiency worldwide. In India, Trimble’s Tekla Structures was used for detailed 3D modelling on the Dwarka Expressway, an ambitious urban expressway with more than 500 non-typical bridges. This allowed for easier communication between engineers and contractors, and the design team’s efficiency was significantly enhanced with Tekla Structures.
Internationally, Trimble’s Tekla Structures and Trimble Connect were used to oversee the complex architectural planning and building of Dubai’s Museum of the Future. With the help of these tools, productivity rose by 50%, energy consumption decreased by 25%, and rework was reduced by up to 65%.
Both projects showcase how Trimble’s innovative solutions streamline workflows, enhance accuracy, and support safer, smarter infrastructure development worldwide.
TimesTech: How do AI-powered monitoring systems and real-time data collaboration contribute to more sustainable and future-ready infrastructure planning?
Harsh: Sustainable infrastructure isn’t just about using green materials; it’s about making smarter decisions at every stage of the project. AI-powered monitoring systems enable this by using drones, sensors, and real-time analytics to track progress, detect deviations, and flag potential risks before they escalate into costly rework or delays. The result is better resource utilisation, reduced waste, and improved project timelines.
Equally important is real-time data collaboration. When engineers, contractors, and stakeholders work from a unified, constantly updated platform, decisions become faster and more informed. This level of coordination is key to adapting to change, reducing miscommunication, and ensuring accountability across the board.
Trimble brings these capabilities together, integrating AI, cloud-based collaboration, and geospatial intelligence to help build infrastructure that’s not only efficient today but resilient and future-ready for the demands of tomorrow.
TimesTech: What challenges do organisations face while adopting such advanced technologies, and how does Trimble help ease this digital transition for engineers and planners?
Harsh: Getting teams to abandon their accustomed methods of operation is one of the most difficult aspects of implementing modern technology. Since engineers and planners frequently work under pressure, implementing new tools may seem more like a hassle than an advantage. There’s also the concern about training, compatibility, and whether the technology will improve day-to-day work.
Trimble helps make that transition easier by offering solutions that work well with existing processes. The platforms are useful, simple to use, and come with training tailored to actual project requirements. Rather than advocating for a radical change, Trimble helps teams gradually embrace digital tools so they can see the benefits and continue working on projects without undue stress.
TimesTech: Looking ahead, how do you see the role of drone-based inspections and digital twins evolving in public-private infrastructure collaborations and smart city initiatives across India?
Harsh: India’s ambitious push for smart cities and modern infrastructure is gaining new momentum through the widespread adoption of drones and digital twins. Drones and digital twins are driving India’s ambitious push for smart cities and modern infrastructure like never before. By providing real-time, comprehensive images from intricate locations, drones help identify issues early and take quicker, more informed decisions. This increases productivity and keeps projects on schedule.
With digital twins, physical infrastructure can be replicated in real time and virtually as it changes with the environment. Hence, engineers can anticipate maintenance requirements, model scenarios, and precisely optimise performance based on data. Working together, these technologies are transforming the way infrastructure is planned, constructed, and maintained in India, resulting in safer, more connected, and genuinely future-ready cities.
