Wireless connectivity is a cornerstone of consumer electronics, shaping everything from the smart home to the Internet of Things (IoT). For companies that sell the chipsets found in wireless devices, it is essential to gauge consumer demand and identify the hottest innovations.
As ABI Research’s lead robotics analyst, I will be attending automatica in Munich next week!
From tariff impacts on the supply chain to advanced satellite innovations, ABI Research’s latest whitepapers shed light on the transformative forces shaping the global technology landscape in 2025. This blog highlights 10 must-read publications this year, each offering unique insights and strategic guidance across manufacturing, connectivity, smart infrastructure, and more.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is most commonly used for contactless payments, as evidenced by recent survey results from ABI Research and the NFC Forum. This close proximity-based technology allows consumers to conveniently tap-and-pay for goods and services via a smartphone or smartwatch. While contactless payments will remain the biggest opportunity for NFC, new use cases are emerging. Between the NFC Forum’s Technical Roadmap and recent advancements in embedded Secure Element (eSE) technology, NFC applications are expanding to broader industries. Here are five other ways NFC can be used.
ABI Research’s latest Competitive Ranking offers a clear view of today’s most advanced fleet telematics companies. As software platforms evolve beyond traditional vehicle tracking to support broader fleet and operational intelligence, ABI Research evaluates each vendor across two critical dimensions: implementation and innovation.
Measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is now essential for manufacturers striving to enhance productivity and streamline operations. As digital transformation continues to reshape the manufacturing landscape, demand for advanced data analytics solutions that provide real-time insights into machine performance and production bottlenecks has grown exponentially.
ABI Research has observed manufacturers increasingly investing in purpose-built OEE software solutions, rather than relying on metrics embedded within Manufacturing Execution Systems (MESs) or Quality Management Systems (QMSs).
This trend reflects the industry's pivot toward descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics capabilities, which are areas where traditional MES or QMS platforms fall short. Up-and-comers like Litmus Automation, MachineMetrics, and Augury have stepped up to fill this market gap for OEE tools.
Supply chain risks can come in many forms, abruptly disrupting operations. A seaport could become congested, a trade policy may require new suppliers, or low consumer demand might result in inventory overstock. From the COVID-19 pandemic to the new U.S. tariffs, recent events have made it clear that enterprises cannot assume their supply chains will always remain stable. In fact, they should always prepare for the worst to limit the damage from potentially disruptive crises. To mitigate supply chain risks, companies must leverage effective Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) strategies. SCRM is essential to identifying supply chain vulnerabilities, including internal bottlenecks, supplier issues, geopolitical changes, regulations, and other factors.
Since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, Large Language Models (LLMs) have dominated tech conversations. While Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) has captured attention with its ability to produce content, a new development is emerging: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI). Unlike Gen AI, which focuses on generating text, images, or code, AI agents are built to take meaningful action. They can navigate multi-step processes, make autonomous decisions, and integrate seamlessly into enterprise systems.
Qualcomm is strategically leveraging its heritage in connectivity to carve out a broad position in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape. Its approach is about embedding intelligence seamlessly from the network edge into a vast array of devices, from battery-powered embedded devices and edge AI “boxes” to AI Personal Computers (PCs) and now desktops, and finally the data center. COMPUTEX did not see any new silicon from Qualcomm, but it did offer a convention of partners and customers, and messaging about Qualcomm’s strategy as robust across most locations of compute with the exception of the data center.