Gamuda Berhad expands collaboration with Google Cloud to elevate gen AI capabilities across workforce

In a significant move to boost its digital and innovative capabilities, Gamuda Berhad announced today its decision to deepen its collaboration with Google Cloud, aiming to democratize enterprise-grade generative AI (gen AI) technologies across its entire workforce. This initiative marks a pivotal moment in empowering Gamuda employees to deliver more efficient and innovative engineering, construction, and public infrastructure projects throughout the region.

“Always a forerunner in technological adoption, gen AI for Gamuda is another step forward in our continuous digital innovation journey to transform a highly traditional industry, which is engineering and construction. Through the Gamuda Innovation Hub, we’re breaking new ground with a digital and data-driven approach for construction while upskilling talent in Google Cloud competencies to set them on new career paths in our industry,” stated John Lim Ji Xiong, Group Chief Digital Officer, Gamuda Berhad. He highlighted Google Cloud’s vast expertise in planetary-scale data management and cutting-edge AI as key reasons for their choice, emphasizing the ease with which their workforce can build their own gen AI tools to address work challenges securely and privately.

To foster the adoption of gen AI and enhance operational visibility, Gamuda has developed the Gamuda Digital Operating System (GDOS), a comprehensive ecosystem of tools standard across all projects. This ecosystem consolidates enterprise data, including critical systems like Autodesk Construction Cloud and SAP S4/HANA, under a unified cloud data platform. The migration of Gamuda’s SAP S4/HANA systems to Google Cloud in 2023, facilitated by Google Cloud partner Cloudspace, underscores a strategic move to streamline data and compute resources on a single platform, offering significant cost savings and operational efficiencies.

Among the notable innovations stemming from this collaboration is the development of a gen AI-powered conversational agent for Gamuda’s cloud-based Tunnel Insight platform, aimed at enhancing tunneling operations with the world’s first autonomous tunnel boring machines (A-TBMs). These A-TBMs, developed in-house by Gamuda, leverage sophisticated algorithms for automating repetitive tasks, such as machine steering and excavation processes. The gen AI-powered conversational agent, built on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform with support from CloudMile, a Google Cloud partner, enables staff to quickly interpret sensor data and machine documentation, facilitating timely responses to geological changes and maintenance requirements.

This integration exemplifies how Gamuda is combining enterprise data and gen AI to improve safety and efficiency in tunneling projects across Singapore and Australia, showcasing the potential for AI to revolutionize traditional construction methodologies.

In a broader initiative, Gamuda is utilizing Vertex AI Search and Conversation to develop generative search and chat applications for various teams within the organization. This move enables employees to synthesize extensive research documentation and draw insights from past projects to inform new proposals, significantly accelerating the decision-making process. Moreover, the establishment of an internal marketplace, BotUnify, allows employees to easily share and access custom gen AI applications tailored to their specific job roles, fostering an environment of collaboration and continuous learning.

“Google Cloud’s enterprise AI stack has accelerated our gen AI innovation cycles, allowing us to go from concept to impact much faster than we had hoped. With Vertex AI’s out-of-box capabilities, even employees with zero specialist AI knowledge can build, deploy, and gain value from functional generative applications in a matter of weeks. With access to world-class foundation models and easy-to-use APIs, Google Cloud enables Gamuda to lay the groundwork for a marketplace of expertise and insight at our fingertips,” explained Lim Ji Xiong.

Patrick Wee, Country Manager for Malaysia at Google Cloud, praised Gamuda’s swift adoption of digitalization and gen AI, highlighting its transformation of the construction industry’s traditional paradigms. By integrating diverse data streams and leveraging modern infrastructure, data analytics, security, and AI, Gamuda not only enhances project efficiency and cost savings but also sets a precedent for enterprises seeking innovation through technology convergence.

This expanded partnership between Gamuda Berhad and Google Cloud represents a significant leap forward in the use of generative AI within the engineering and construction sector, promising to reshape how projects are delivered and further cementing Gamuda’s position as a leader in digital innovation within the industry. The collaboration underscores the transformative power of gen AI, offering insights into its potential to revolutionize traditional practices, enhance operational efficiency, and pave new paths for talent development in engineering and construction. As Gamuda continues to push the boundaries of technological adoption, its journey serves as an inspiring example for other organizations looking to harness the benefits of digital and AI technologies to address complex challenges and drive industry-wide advancements.

The strategic partnership between Gamuda Berhad and Google Cloud is a testament to the evolving landscape of the construction and engineering industry, where digital transformation and the adoption of advanced AI technologies are becoming critical drivers of success. This collaboration not only showcases the potential of gen AI to transform traditional industries but also highlights the importance of data-driven decision-making and the integration of digital tools into everyday work processes. By leveraging Google Cloud’s expertise and innovative AI solutions, Gamuda is setting a new standard for innovation, efficiency, and safety in construction, offering valuable lessons for other companies in the sector.