AbstractBoth conventional and mechanized tunnelling have a fantastic tradition. The technical progress of the industry moved in step with social developments, characterized by crises and leaps in innovation. In the field of mechanized tunnelling, the driving force for some years now has been the desire to excavate heterogeneous construction sites with changes in tunnelling modes without the need for costly conversions underground. In addition, two innovation surges are currently discernible. On the one hand, the demands on innovation and technology management again follow a societal challenge, namely the goal of climate neutrality. On the other hand, digital processes and tools are changing all areas of our lives at an enormous speed, which means that the construction industry will also undergo a transformation in the coming years. Automation, robotics, the Internet of Things, machine learning, or artificial intelligence are all gradually encroaching on current processes and methods.Tunnelling jobsites in general, and largescale construction projects in particular, are inherently complex in their operation and are subject to major challenges. Current and future developments will add another necessity, namely the integration of digital applications into an overall system consisting of people and machines while enabling high‐performance construction processes. This calls for intelligent systems.