Ed Lewis, the founder and CEO of Industrial Info Resources (IIR), calls the IIR model “surveillance-grade” because it is active and asset-level. Their researchers connect directly with owners, operators, and engineers, then double-verify details before publishing changes in what is being constructed, added, delayed, or decommissioned across energy, power, chemicals, manufacturing, data centers, mining, and infrastructure. Information may be plentiful, but for Lewis, trust is a rare commodity, and IIR has earned its reputation through the hard work of validation.
Now, IIR is exploring AI, and Lewis draws two lines. First, intent. He says, “We are not using AI to reduce our work staff — we are using AI to empower them.” Second, inputs: IIR trains specialized models on proprietary intelligence, not generic data. That matters in markets where projects are announced, revised, delayed, or shelved, and where capacity shifts constantly.
