When Will i-Construction 2.0 Become Full-Scale? Explaining the Latest Trends and Preparations

Many practitioners interested in i-Construction 2.0 are likely asking, "When exactly should we consider it to be entering full-scale operation?" and "Is it still okay to wait and see, or should we start preparing right away?" The short answer is that the policy was initiated in spring 2024, but from a practical standpoint it is reasonable to view FY 2025 as the period when trial expansions and guideline development accelerate, and FY 2026 onward as the time when a common data environment and various guideline applications and revisions come to the fore. Therefore, it is fair to see this moment as the gateway to the full operational phase. The shift is from the earlier stage of "using ICT where possible on sites" to the stage of "operating sites safely and with fewer personnel by connecting data."

This article organizes the institutional position of i-Construction 2.0, then explains the timing from the perspective of the latest trends and provides practical preparations that contractors, owners, and site staff should begin now. It is important to interpret this not simply as "a new policy has been issued," but as a flow in which construction, data linkage, and construction management methods themselves will change.

Table of Contents

• What is i-Construction 2.0

• When should we consider i-Construction 2.0 to be full-scale

• Three changes visible from the latest trends

• Preparations practitioners should start now

• How to approach small sites and local government projects

• Changes that will occur at future sites

• Summary

What is i-Construction 2.0

The goals set out in this new phase are clear. By FY 2040, the aim is to achieve at least a 30% reduction in labor, i.e., a 1.5-fold improvement in productivity, based on three pillars as means of realization: automation of construction operations, automation of data linkage, and automation of construction management. Crucially, this is not merely about upgrading machines. The concept covers the entire construction production process to reduce labor, including remote and automated construction machinery, sharing of three-dimensional models and site data, remote supervision and inspection, and reduction of paperwork.

The background is a structural problem: the working-age population is expected to decline by 20% by FY 2040, while disaster response and aging infrastructure countermeasures must continue. Thus, i-Construction 2.0 should be read not as a mere technology adoption measure but as an implementation plan to sustain construction business in an era of labor shortages. For site staff, it is important to understand this as not "a matter only for those familiar with new technologies," but as a redesign of work that will not be sustainable if traditional methods are maintained.

When should we consider i-Construction 2.0 to be full-scale

There are multiple measures that set FY 2026 as a milestone for targets and application starts. For example, the Common Data Environment for aggregating and utilizing construction data is scheduled to be established from FY 2026, and improvements to systems and trials to utilize design data from BIM/CIM for quantity estimation are targeted for FY 2026. In the port sector as well, guideline application and revisions from Reiwa 8 fiscal year (FY 2026) were included as subjects to be compiled as of March 2026, and from FY 2026 onward the emphasis will shift from "examining directions" to "operating according to rules." Considering these movements, full-scale implementation for practitioners should be viewed as beginning right now.

A common misunderstanding is to equate "full-scale" with an instantaneous nationwide switch to automated construction in all projects. Actual full-scale implementation will proceed by changes in procurement conditions, guidelines, inspections, data formats, and internal operations, and companies that respond to these changes will gain advantages in bidding and site operations. In other words, from a site perspective, full-scale implementation is not a sudden massive change but rather the point at which already-begun institutional changes start to take effect on a project-by-project basis. With this understanding, what you should do now shifts from "wait and see" to "start small but begin."

Three changes visible from the latest trends

The third notable change is that automation of construction management is progressing faster than expected. Remote attendance has been applied in principle to all directly managed civil engineering works since FY 2022, and from FY 2024 it has also been applied in principle to construction inspections. Furthermore, for rebar confirmation, non-contact measurement using image analysis entered full-scale operation in July 2023, and some supervisory and inspection tasks are already ceasing to be "tasks that must be performed on site." The essence of i-Construction 2.0 is not only about automating heavy machinery but about changing the distribution of site burdens to include supervision, inspection, as-built confirmation, and documentation.

Preparations practitioners should start now

Next, it is necessary to clarify the purpose of creating three-dimensional data. Under i-Construction 2.0, 3D data should be treated not as deliverables or for appearance, but as common assets that connect to verification, construction, as-built management, inspection, quantity estimation, and design changes. Therefore, it is important to decide at project start what to capture during surveying, how much attribute information to include at the design stage, and which data to hand over to the site during construction. If later you find "this model cannot be used on site," "it cannot be used for quantity takeoff," or "it cannot be adapted for inspection," the benefits of i-Construction 2.0 will be greatly reduced.

Also important is not to treat digitization of construction management as merely a matter of paperwork reduction. Remote attendance and digital inspections can do more than reduce travel time: they can change the timing of checks, accelerate decision-making, and reduce missed stage confirmations. If supervisory and inspection rework decreases, downtime on site will also decrease. Therefore, preparations should include not only equipment but operational design: which checks can be done remotely, which data should be retained to satisfy accountability, and who will confirm what and when. Simply layering digital tools on top of existing paper-based operations will weaken the effects.

How to approach small sites and local government projects

On the other hand, it is not necessary to aim for high-level modernization across all sites at once. Hearings with small and medium-sized enterprises indicate heavy burdens on dedicated personnel and the difficulty of retaining know-how when outsourcing. Therefore, in practice, it is effective to internalize processes that directly reduce rework first—such as as-built management, remote attendance, 3D setting-out surveys, and on-site utilization of design data. Preparing for i-Construction 2.0 is easier if viewed as changing the high-impact touchpoints rather than transforming all processes simultaneously.

Changes that will occur at future sites

At future sites, the emphasis will shift from "having people on site" to "being able to make necessary decisions when needed." As remote construction, remote attendance, digital inspections, and the Common Data Environment progress, value will lie not just in the number of people stationed on site but in the ability to view the same information and make decisions from anywhere. This addresses labor shortages while also reducing the travel burden on skilled workers, lowering hazardous work, and enabling managers to handle multiple sites. Going forward, competitiveness will be determined less by "how many people were posted" and more by "how safely a site was operated with a small team."

Next, the quality of 3D data and construction data will increasingly equate to the quality of site operations. Situations where drawings and models do not match, coordinate handling is ambiguous, or photos and point clouds cannot be used in downstream processes will become increasingly disadvantageous. This is because i-Construction 2.0 assumes data linkage in its institutional design, and poor input data quality will cause cascading inefficiencies from construction and inspection through quantity estimation and asset management. Practitioners must not leave digitization solely to specialist departments; they need to be conscious of what data their process hands off to the next process.

Furthermore, going forward, the question will be less about whether new technology was "introduced" and more about whether it has been "embedded in daily operations." As of March 2026, committees promoting BIM/CIM and committees in the port sector continue to discuss implementation content for FY 2025 and future directions, as well as guideline applications and revisions from Reiwa 8 fiscal year (FY 2026). While this indicates that the system is still evolving, it also means that the final form will not be automatically handed to sites if they simply wait. Companies that track the latest trends and gradually align their operations will be better positioned to ride the wave of full-scale implementation.

Summary

i-Construction 2.0 began with formulation in April 2024; trial expansion and guideline development will progress in FY 2025, and from FY 2026 onward the application of a Common Data Environment and various guidelines will start to become visible, marking a transition into the full operational phase. Therefore, the realistic answer to "When will it become full-scale?" is "The system has already begun, and practical full-scale implementation is happening right now." What matters is to understand this as overall optimization that includes data linkage, supervision and inspection, as-built management, and design changes—not just news about remote or automated construction.

In this flow, it becomes increasingly important to quickly capture coordinates on site, link them to 3D data and as-built confirmation, and prepare information to hand off to downstream processes early. Especially when operating sites with small teams while ensuring accuracy, simplifying the entry points for positioning and recording is effective.

If you are preparing sites with i-Construction 2.0 in mind, leveraging iPhone-mounted high-precision GNSS positioning devices like LRTK and establishing a system that makes the first steps of measuring, recording, and sharing part of daily operations without strain will create a significant advantage in future practice.