Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a software company specializing in infrastructure engineering, has acquired 3D geospatial company Cesium. Cesium is known for its open platform that enables the creation of 3D geospatial applications, and its 3D Tiles standard is widely used by enterprises, governments, and developers worldwide. Cesium’s SaaS platform, Cesium ion, serves over 1 million active devices monthly, and its open-source tools have been downloaded more than 10 million times.
Bentley’s iTwin Platform supports digital twin solutions for engineering and construction firms and owner-operators. The integration of Cesium with iTwin will allow developers to combine 3D geospatial data with various other data types to create digital twins that offer detailed and scalable user experiences.
“A 3D geospatial view is the most intuitive way for owner-operators and engineering services providers to search for, query, and visualize information about infrastructure networks and assets,” said Bentley CEO Nicholas Cumins. “With the combined capabilities of Cesium and iTwin, infrastructure professionals can make better-informed decisions in full 3D geospatial context—all within a single, highly performant environment.”
Patrick Cozzi, CEO of Cesium, stated, “Joining Bentley marks an important milestone for Cesium as we continue our journey to create the best developer platform for the built and natural environment – founded on open standards and open-source technologies.”
Komatsu, a leading construction equipment manufacturer, uses Cesium’s technology to monitor construction sites, track changes, compare plans with real-world data, and perform precise measurements. The integration with Bentley will provide Komatsu with enhanced access to digital twin technology.
Chikashi Shike, executive officer of Komatsu’s Smart Construction Promotion Division, commented: “With Cesium as part of Bentley, we can further enrich our Smart Construction digital twins with engineering models, subsurface data, and more, for safer and more efficient construction projects.”
Cesium also plays a significant role in promoting open standards, like the 3D Tiles standard for visualizing large 3D geospatial data, which was adopted by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in 2019.
Peter Rabley, CEO of OGC, emphasized the importance of an open ecosystem in data-centric infrastructure sectors: “As infrastructure sectors become more data-centric, the importance of an open ecosystem will only increase. As the leading voice for open standards and interoperability in the geospatial community, OGC welcomes the ongoing commitment of Bentley and Cesium to solve global challenges through open, interoperable platforms.”
Following the acquisition, Patrick Cozzi will serve as Bentley’s chief platform officer, leading the development of combined Cesium and iTwin offerings under Bentley’s CTO Julien Moutte. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, and Dechert LLP acted as Bentley’s legal advisor.
