The demand for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based technologies in the Southeast Asian region is expected to soar in the coming years. As enterprises, notably in the manufacturing and logistics sectors, trend toward rapidly embracing digital transformation, Internet of Things (IoT) connections revenue will grow to US$13.5 billion by 2027. With greater adoption of Industry 4.0 tools comes more intelligent factories, leveraging a wide range of operations-enhancing technologies. Examples of smart factories abound in the Southeast Asian industrial sector.

Market research goes hand-in-hand with maximizing profits at a business enterprise. Whether you’re a vendor or an enterprise implementer of a new technology, in-depth, data-backed intelligence can safely guide your organization toward sustained success.

Technology research deliverables identify potential roadblocks and lucrative revenue opportunities for organizations, while giving you a reliable partner to consult with when questions about your respective market inevitably arise. Take, for example, the technology market research case studies we recently compiled, showcasing how our forward-looking methodologies help some of our biggest clients with their digitization journeys. In this blog post, let’s review four of these case studies to give you a better idea of what kind of results you can expect from ABI Research as a technology intelligence partner.

Why Is Market Research Important for Technology Companies?

There is a 90% chance that the average global temperature will be warmer within the next five years than the previous five-year span, according to a recent update from The World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Just as alarming, the research also suggests that there’s an 86% likelihood that the planet will experience its hottest year on record by 2028. To help combat these environemental calamities, numerous software companies are offering carbon accounting solutions for enterprises. This post lists 14 of these companies, with some being household names and others being early startups.

Update: Market forecasts have been updated to reflect ABI Research's 3Q 2025 data.

Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) are key to creating interoperability and Intellectual Property (IP) protection in the telecommunications industry. To drive innovation in the 5G space, The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Working Groups (WGs) develop a variety of Technical Specifications (TSs) backed up by many important patented technologies (i.e., SEPs). This blog post provides a thorough update on the latest developments in 5G patents, detailing TS types, most common WGs, company categories making declarations, and regional analyses. Then, it discusses the future trajectory of 5G SEPs.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI more broadly, has launched a new technology hype cycle that, on the surface, appears to have rather unceremoniously ended during the previous metaverse hype cycle. AI, however, is a critical enabling technology of a future metaverse, from networking to data/workflow management and content creation. AI should not be viewed as a “metaverse replacement,” but rather as a critical pillar of that future, regardless of what that future is called; metaverse is simply a convenient term to codify pre-existing trends with a vision of the future.

Networked Lighting Control (NLC) "connected lighting" systems are at the forefront of smart technologies available to building owners and tenants, as well as energy companies and regulators, as they look to improve the efficiency and appeal of their commercial buildings. NLCs deliver automated and dynamic lighting networks that optimize energy consumption by connecting with sensors throughout a property. Connectivity is the next step in driving energy savings from upgraded lighting capabilities. The still ongoing switch to Light-Emitting Diode (LED) luminaires from traditional bulbs can bring a 50% energy use reduction. NLC leverages LED to enable dynamic light dimming and operation to ensure lights are only on as needed. Key to such control is lighting level and occupancy sensors, but the NLC system can be extended beyond just efficient lighting to provide a backbone for a host of other connected applications, such as indoor location services for asset tracking in a warehouse or product discovery in retail stores.

Smartphone Biometric Technology Is on the Rise

The adoption of biometrics across various applications in an array industries is continually increasing. Concerning consumer technologies, fingerprint and facial biometrics are already prevalent in the devices we use daily. This is only expected to increase with time, with ABI Research observing the adjoining movement of growing penetration of biometric technology within devices, with the increasing integration of biometrics in smartphone operating systems, external apps, and web pages. Alongside facial and fingerprint technologies, numerous other biometric modalities, including voice, gesture, and vein recognition, are seeing strong uptake.

There’s a fierce game of tug-of-war taking place within the telecommunications industry. On one side of the rope is the consumer-centric business model that Communication Service Providers (CSPs) have traditionally relied upon. On the other end are 5G cloud and software services that define a future, digital-first world. Each telecom domain vies for the attention of CSPs equally. Operators must look both to the future—promising new growth opportunities in the enterprise—while also being careful not to let their hands slip from the consumer side of the rope.

The following forecast looks at how generative AI will create incremental value for companies in each different enterprise vertical. ABI Research expects each generative AI vertical market to adopt the technology at different rates depending on the business use cases that will create the most value.