Construction Software Consolidation Heats Up In 2026: Procore Acquires Datagrid As Hexagon Launches Multivista

2026 is already forcing transformative change across the construction industry. Red-hot geopolitical tensions have pushed US-EU tariffs to new highs, while predictions of advanced AI automation are fast becoming reality.

Against this backdrop, consolidation in construction software is accelerating. On January 20, 2026, Procore completed its acquisition of Datagrid, pushing agentic AI deeper into construction workflows and reinforcing its long-term AI strategy, first unveiled at its 2025 Groundbreak event. Headquartered in San Francisco, Datagrid is a built-environment-specific AI agent platform centred on data connectivity and autonomous workflow execution. Its tools automate manual document handling and connect to users’ existing systems, such as Autodesk, Fieldwire, Sage and Trimble. Since its founding in 2017, it has become trusted by international AEC firms including Buro Happold, Mortenson and Prometheus Group.

With this purchase, Procore recognizes that today’s workloads and productivity demands have surpassed the capacity of manual methods. Some construction teams still spend up to half of their time searching through documents. According to Premier Construction Software, a single worker can spend 90 minutes per day searching for information – adding up to $2.5 million in annual losses for a 1,000-person firm.

As the AI hype evolves, buyers are becoming more selective; they want tools that deliver value without adding friction. It is becoming less about bolting new point solutions onto existing tech stacks and more about strengthening the connective tissue between existing tools and data. This is where Datagrid’s core value lies: rather than simply summarizing text or answering questions, it focuses on cross-system data searches and automating multi-step processes like reviewing submittals and drafting RFIs. To avoid reinforcing silos in an industry still dominated by disconnected platforms, Datagrid will remain platform-agnostic, supporting third-party integrations with AEC systems such as Autodesk Construction Cloud, Hilti and Trimble. Solutions like Datagrid are unlikely to make common data environment (CDE) tools redundant – but will force them to evolve from passive file repositories into more active and intelligent systems, making data ownership less ambiguous and lowering the risk of legal implications due to incorrect or missing data.

However, Procore is not alone in its ambitions. Non-industry-specific tools like Access Evo and Microsoft Power Platform – the latter of which launched eight years ago – have been working towards AI-driven transformation for some time. As the construction industry shifts from desktop to cloud to AI-first software, Procore may now have an advantage in offering its own LLM capabilities directly inside its platform, replacing the need to bounce between different solutions. For many construction software users – including existing Procore customers – the question becomes simple: why pay for a third-party LLM when Procore provides it out of the box? In this sector, penetration often beats innovation, so even if start-up tools are more advanced, people will continue to use Procore out of convenience. To succeed when the LLM wrapper bubble bursts, start-ups will need to prove clear differentiation that Procore cannot easily replicate – or prepare to be acquired or fade away.

Consolidation is not just happening between vendors; it is also accelerating within vendor portfolios. Hexagon’s recent launch of Multivista brings together Voyansi, LocLab and Construction Analysis under a single services brand. Like Procore, Hexagon is targeting fragmented workflows by offering an integrated service spanning digital modelling, reality capture and automated construction analysis. By unifying these capabilities, Hexagon aims to improve data continuity from the construction site to digital twins and analytics to boost collaboration and reduce the complexity of project management across the life cycle.

Many other dominant market players share this vision. Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Nemetschek and Trimble are expanding their platforms through acquisitions, partnerships and AI-native product lines. As competition intensifies, the winners will be those that can unify data, automate cross-system processes and reduce the operational drag caused by fragmented tech stacks. In short, 2026 is shaping up to be the year construction software finally shifts from isolated point solutions to connected platforms driven by AI tools.