Crema – a design & technology consultancy based in Kansas City, MO – was chosen by Diode as a strategic tech partner to research and create the roadmap for a proprietary GIS platform. This greenfield product will completely transform how they discover and evaluate land for development worldwide.
Diode (a wholly owned subsidiary of Black & Veatch) is an infrastructure developer for the commercial, industrial and technology sectors, specializing in sustainable energy and data center assets. With growing customer demand and ambitious growth goals in 2025, they've sharpened their focus on marketing turnkey, permit-ready sites that they can bring to their customers, while continuously searching for the next best sites for future development.
"Our vision is to site projects better than any other company in the infrastructure development space. Crema has helped us create an easy-to-use tool that collects data from a host of sources, including years of our own expertise in site selection to allow us to respond to our clients with unprecedented agility and confidence." - Brad Hardin, Diode President
The initial six-week engagement consisted of discovery workshops, user interviews, technology exploration, concept design, and roadmap creation. During this time, the teams investigated land procurement processes, financial insights, and global data discovery to inform the greater product strategy.
With both teams aligned around a clear plan, Crema and Diode have now moved confidently into the product build phase which will continue over the next 10 months. The proprietary platform integrates AI/ML capabilities powered by AWS to enhance efficiency in land evaluation and selection processes. AWS's cloud infrastructure enables the platform to process complex geospatial data at scale while supporting Diode's global expansion efforts. Out of respect for Diode's intellectual property, further details remain confidential at this time.
"Diode already has incredible domain expertise. By developing this custom GIS platform, we're transforming their specialized knowledge into a powerful technology that differentiates them from a tough pool of competitors. We expect the AI integration will dramatically accelerate their ability to identify optimal sites and respond to market opportunities." - George Brooks, Crema CEO
