ZenaTech adds terrain modeling to ZenaWorx and lands first AI data center customer

ZenaTech expanded its ZenaWorx drone software to add digital terrain modeling and signed its first paying customer in the AI data center construction market. The move widens the platform’s use beyond 3D progress tracking and targets earthworks work that can affect cost, schedule and recurring revenue.

Why it matters: - ZenaTech is pushing ZenaWorx deeper into construction workflows that need precise earthworks data, not just progress images. - The expansion could broaden use of the software across AI data center campuses, public works and other long-running projects. - ZenaTech is also positioning the software as a subscription-style, recurring revenue service rather than a one-off project tool.

What happened: - ZenaTech expanded ZenaWorx, its LiDAR-based construction progress monitoring software, to include digital terrain modeling. - The company said the new capability is currently in beta. - ZenaTech also signed its first paying customer for a building project in the AI data center construction market. - The announcement came Aug. 13, 2026, from Vancouver, British Columbia.

The details: - ZenaWorx is offered through ZenaTech’s Drone as a Service division. - The software started as a virtual design and construction 3D progress monitoring tool. - The new DTM functions extend ZenaWorx to measure cut-and-fill volumes, grading accuracy and drainage. - The platform is designed to support structural 3D tracking, site-progress monitoring and standardized reporting across construction projects. - Drone-based digital terrain modeling uses drone-mounted LiDAR or photogrammetric sensors to generate a digital representation of the ground surface. - The technology captures elevation, slope and grading data that can be compared against engineering plans during construction. - ZenaTech said the software has broader applications it expects to explore over time. - CEO Shaun Passley said the AI data center construction market is one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in a generation. - Passley said the company aims to support AI data center developers and public works customers such as landfill operators and municipalities managing drainage and grading projects. - Passley also said ZenaTech intends to build a durable, subscription-based relationship with each customer across the full life of a project. - ZenaTech said its DaaS division provides on-demand drone piloting, data capture and data processing for commercial, government and infrastructure customers. - The DaaS business is being built through an acquisition-led strategy that combines local service providers into a global network. - The company said the division is intended to deliver recurring revenue services including surveying, inspections, power washing and construction progress monitoring. - ZenaTech included a link to its featured-company profile at the company profile.

Between the lines: - The DTM upgrade moves ZenaWorx from a narrower progress-monitoring product into a tool that can support early-stage site preparation, where errors can cascade into costly delays. - Landing a first paying AI data center customer gives ZenaTech an early proof point in a market it sees as a major growth driver. - The recurring-revenue framing suggests the company wants longer customer relationships tied to project lifecycles, not single surveys. - ZenaTech is also signaling that its drone and SaaS businesses are meant to reinforce each other inside one services platform.

What's next: - ZenaTech said it will keep building out ZenaWorx’s broader applications over time. - The company expects to use the software with more AI data center developers and public works customers. - The DaaS expansion strategy will likely continue through acquisitions and added service lines. - Market demand for digital elevation models could support the addressable market, with MarkWide Research projecting growth from about $3.8 billion in 2026 to $10.04 billion by 2035.

The bottom line: - ZenaTech is betting that drone-based terrain modeling will become a higher-value, recurring software and services layer inside construction monitoring.