Project information management company Newforma has acquired Toronto-based Lumi AI, a startup specialising in plain-language data analytics. The acquisition aims to establish higher standards for artificial intelligence in the architecture, engineering, construction and owner (AECO) sector by delivering explainable, verifiable and accurate answers drawn from complex project records.

Under the terms of the deal, Lumi AI co-founder and CTO Tudor Boiangiu joins Newforma as VP of AI Engineering, with the Lumi engineering team remaining based in Toronto. The acquisition will build upon Vojo, the AI assistant Newforma introduced at its annual conference in May. Lumi AI’s engine will be integrated into Newforma platforms, starting with smart project dashboards in Newforma Konekt.

Unlike generic AI systems, Lumi AI’s analytics engine was developed over three years to construct a semantic layer over operational software. The engine asks clarifying questions when faced with vague prompts, demonstrates its reasoning process and identifies data quality issues across project records. The system connects across disparate data sources, including design tools, contract administration trackers, emails, Teams messages and field logs, creating a unified view of project information without requiring firms to move their historical data into a single repository.

“A lot of companies are telling this industry their AI is better,” said Peter Cannone, CEO of Newforma. “We’d rather say out loud what better means and be measured against it. Explainable, verifiable, accurate enough to act on when liability is on the line. Our customers don’t need another AI that sounds confident, they need answers they can verify. Pairing Lumi’s engine with the deepest project data structure in AECO is how we set the standard rather than join the chorus. Everyone in this industry wants to be your single source of truth. We would rather be the single view into all of them.”

“We started Lumi to redefine how people interact with their own data: to make it as simple as asking a question,” said Ibrahim Ashqar, co-founder and CEO of Lumi AI. “Newforma brings rich project data and a large base of firms who depend on it. Combining that with Lumi’s engine unlocks far greater value for a much wider audience.”

“We spent three years building an engine that asks instead of guessing,” said Tudor Boiangiu, Newforma VP of AI Engineering. “That work is worth nothing without data that already means something, and Newforma has 20 years of it. They had also already committed to AI and built the framework to carry it. So, I am not here to convince anyone this matters. I am here to build it.”