Autodesk Platform Services at AU 2025: A Week of Innovation, Collaboration, and Community

Autodesk University (AU) 2025 in Nashville brought together innovators, developers, and business leaders from across industries to explore how Autodesk Platform Services (APS) is shaping the future of design and make. From immersive experiences in the Expo to inspiring keynotes and hands-on classes, APS was at the center of some of the week’s most exciting conversations.

AU 2025

Platform Leadership Forum: Strategy, AI, and the Future of APS

AU 2025 kicked off with the Platform Leadership Forum, where 600+ executives, industry leaders, and developers came together to explore how Autodesk Platform Services (APS) is driving innovation across industries.

The afternoon opened with a welcome speech from Julia Brun who leads developer advocacy initiatives in the US, and executive welcome and strategy session led by Ben Cochran (Autodesk), Jay Wratten (WSP), Joe Speicher (Autodesk), and Tonya Custis (Autodesk). They set the tone by outlining how APS and AI are transforming the way organizations design, make, and deliver value at scale.

Ben PLF

From there, attendees split into two dynamic tracks: Business Lightning Talks and Developer Deep Dive.

In the Business Lightning Talks, Nadia Ballard (IDC) set the stage with The Platform Economy Revolution, showing how digital platforms are reshaping global markets. Sebastian Goodwin (Autodesk) followed with a timely session on building trust and transparency in the era of AI. Krisztian Hegedus (Autodesk) and Tulika Garg (Autodesk) unveiled the new era of Autodesk Platform Services. Michael Fleishman (OpenSpace) inspired the audience with a vision for visual intelligence and spatial AI agents. Additional highlights included Sid Haksar’s (Autodesk) insights on the expanding AECO ecosystem, and Emile Khouri’s (Autodesk) session on leveraging APS as a true strategic advantage.
On the Developer Deep Dive side, Brett Adam (Autodesk) showcased how MCPs are transforming platform development. Sean Olcott (Accenture) shared practical lessons from implementing Gen AI with APS, while Tobias Hathorn (Autodesk) guided participants through the evolution of Autodesk’s data models. Micah Callough (Esri) introduced a new approach to sustainability—engineering climate-resilient infrastructure through biometrics, AI, and spatial intelligence. Anthony Sertorio (Autodesk) offered a low-code roadmap for building AI integrations with APS, and the track wrapped up with Cyrille Fauvel and Erica Beffert (Autodesk) presenting a forward-looking APS API Roadmap.

The Forum wrapped up with a networking reception, giving participants the chance to continue the conversations sparked during the sessions, exchange ideas, and connect directly with the APS community.

With strategy, technical depth, and collaboration at its core, the Platform Leadership Forum set the stage for a week of learning, innovation, and inspiration at AU 2025.

Highlights from the APS Expo Zone

The APS Expo Zone was a hub of energy throughout the week, giving attendees a chance to explore the latest APIs, services, and solutions that unlock design and make data. Visitors connected directly with our experts in the Developer Zone, explored the future of spatial computing with APS on Apple Vision Pro, and discovered real-world applications of APS through live demos from our APS Certified Partners:

Monarch Innovation – Showcased how APS enables Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and mass customization solutions for complex products.
VIATechnik – Demonstrated digital twin technology and bespoke APS-powered solutions, from enhanced BIM viewers to generative design and AI-driven automation.
AMC Bridge – Shared how their APS expertise helps AECO clients streamline collaboration and drive project success.
Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) – Helped teams learn how to leverage Autodesk technology, integrations, and exclusive resources to scale their solutions. Not a member yet? Join Autodesk Developer Network to get direct API support, developer licenses of Autodesk products and moonshot your development projects!

Join Autodesk Developer Network

Attendees also took part in the Cloud Experience, a gamified 30-minute workshop designed to demonstrate how connected data and workflows transform organizational resilience. For those who preferred a self-paced exploration, the Cloud Garden offered an interactive gallery of APS-powered solutions.

Raji AI

Key Moments Across AU 2025

Beyond the Expo, APS was featured in several major events:

Design & Make Awards: We celebrated innovators pushing the boundaries of technology, with Lantis taking home the award for Most Innovative Use of Autodesk Platform Services.

Infrastructure projects are made with dirt and stone, steel and concrete. In Antwerp, Belgium, there’s one that’s (also) made with something just as important but more difficult to see: data. The Oosterweel Link is a mega-tunnel project designed to reduce bottlenecks and separate port traffic from local commuting routes, alleviating congestion around one of Europe’s busiest ports.

What sets the Oosterweel Link apart is not just its engineering, but its digital backbone. Project owner Lantis is using a fully integrated data environment—powered by Autodesk Platform Services—to connect data from design and construction to long-term operations, ensuring the infrastructure is built better and operated smarter over its entire lifecycle.

Using APS, Lantis is laying the groundwork for infrastructure that’s durable, intelligent, responsive, and able to adapt to the city’s changing needs over time.

AI Keynote: Autodesk CTO Raji Arasu, along with Mike Haley, outlined how Autodesk is embedding AI into workflows today while preparing customers for the opportunities of tomorrow.
Autodesk Developer Meetup: Developers connected with the APS team, exchanged ideas, and explored new opportunities to build with Autodesk APIs.

APS was also a core part of AU’s learning program. Attendees joined 170+ in-person and digital classes, covering everything from AI-powered automation and secure service accounts to business transformation with APS. Highlights included:

Vibe Coding for the Fearless: How AI Lets Anyone Ship Like a Dev
From Data to Intelligent Automation: Building Trusted AI Pipelines for Outcome-Based BIM
Kickstart Your Business with Autodesk Platform Services
Revolutionizing 3D Model Workflows with AI

Watch AU 2025 sessions on demand

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