IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Operations 2025 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Operations 2025 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: By 2026, More than 80% of the Top 500 Industrial Enterprises Will Have an Operations Data Fabric Capability in Place to Support Widespread Adoption of AI-Driven Use Cases Requiring Multiple Data Sets

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: To Overcome Interoperability Challenges with Legacy Operations Technology Systems, 30% of the Top 500 Industrial Enterprises Will Leverage GenAI to Communicate Across Proprietary OT Languages by 2029

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: By 2026, Progress in Language Models, Vision Systems, and Edge Computing Will Boost 3x the Number of Robotics Use Cases, Leading to a More Natural HMI

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By 2026, Industrial Organizations That Focus Their GenAI Investments on Targeted Operational Use Cases Will Move More AI Pilots into Full Production, Benefiting by Up to a 50% Improvement in ROI

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: By 2027, 40% of the G2000 Will Increase Their Spending by an Additional 10% to Incorporate AI and GenAI Services by Continuing to Leverage Engineering Services Partnerships to Transform Their Operations

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By the End of 2025, 60% of Industrial Organizations Will Need to Increase AI Talent Development Spending Substantially and Foster Partnerships to Effectively Execute and Scale Operational AI Road Maps

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2029, Over 75% of the G2000 Will Have Comprehensive Carbon Management Programs in Place That Include Scope 3 Emissions, Reducing Their Operational Emissions by as Much as 25% Through These Efforts

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2027, Due to Rising OT Cybersecurity Incidents and Concerns, Industrial Organizations Will Need to Increase Investments in Security Solutions by Up to 50% to Protect Legacy Operational Environments

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2027, 75% of the G2000 Will Have Adopted AI-Enabled Quality Management Solutions Within Operations, Allowing New Insights to Be Uncovered and Reducing Scrap/Waste/Defects in Production by Up to 30%

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: By 2029, 30% of Industrial Organizations Will Leverage Vision-Based Mobile Robots in Localized and Mapped Environments, Boosting Workflow Efficiency, Inventory, and Safety Management by 10%

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI-Driven Business Models — Moving from AI Experimentation to Monetization

• The Drive to Automate — Toward a Data-Driven Future

• Future Proofing Against Environmental Risks — ESG Operationalization and Risk Management

• AI-Driven Workplace Transformation — Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today

• Expanding Digital Security Frontiers — Fortification Against Multiplying Threats

• Geoeconomic Reordering — Rethinking Globalization, Supply Chains, and Macroeconomic Challenges

• Battling Against Technical Debt — Overcoming Hurdles to IT Modernization

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