Introducing new technologies and integrating them with service- centric business logic helps companies compete globally; this integration defines smart service innovation. More research is needed to understand how technologies enable smart service innovation from a generalizable and high-level perspective, to develop micro-level insights, and to incorporate stakeholders beyond manufacturers. This gap motivates our dual focus on data platforms and complex system delivery. A qualitative, embedded single-case study of two software firms and two shipyards co-developing the same platform reveals that data platforms drive smart service innovation through two interconnected mechanisms. Then managers convert these innovations into business benefits with three actions. These findings enrich smart service innovation research by detailing high-level mechanisms, micro-level lifecycle transformations, and multi-stakeholder value creation. The exploration of shipbuilding as an extremely complex context advances knowledge of using data platforms in connection with complex system delivery and smart service innovation.