Digital Lifescapes

The global AI conversation has long been framed around American platforms and European regulation. That framing is increasingly inadequate. According to the latest market study by IDC, China has not only matched the pace of AI adoption elsewhere; it has structurally outpaced most other markets and is accelerating further. For technology leaders and corporate strategists watching from the sidelines, the window for comfortable observation is closing. China's AI lead is no longer a forecast. It's a fact. Artificial Intelligence Market Development The headline figure from IDC's research is striking: global enterprise AI spending will reach $940 billion in 2026, growing to $2.1 trillion by 2029, with China among the fastest-growing markets worldwide. But the raw scale of the numbers only tells part of the story. What distinguishes China's position is the phase of the cycle it has entered. According to IDC, the first phase of the AI Supercycle was about computing power, found...

Technology is a compelling catalyst for economic growth across the globe.  Artificial intelligence (AI) rides a seismic wave of transformation in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region — a market bolstered by bold government initiatives, swelling pools of capital, and vibrant tech ambition. The latest IDC analysis sheds light on this dynamic market. Despite a contraction in deal volumes through 2024, total AI venture funding surged to an impressive $15.4 billion — a signal of the region’s resilience and the maturation of its digital-native businesses (DNBs). Asia-Pacific AI Market Development The APAC AI sector’s funding story is not just about headline numbers but also about how and where investments are shifting. Even as the number of deals slowed, the aggregate value of investments climbed, reflecting a preference among investors for fewer but larger, high-potential bets on mature or highly scalable AI enterprises. The information technology sector led the AI investment charge. Top area...

There is a pivotal shift within the global smartphone market. Recent data from IDC highlights a more cautious outlook for 2025, with projected worldwide smartphone shipments seeing a significantly reduced growth rate. This revised forecast underscores the intricate interplay of global economic factors and geopolitical dynamics on pervasive personal communication devices. IDC's latest update projects a mere 0.6 percent growth in worldwide smartphone shipments for 2025, a stark reduction from the earlier 2.3 percent expectation. Global Smartphone Market Development This recalibration is largely attributed to prevailing economic uncertainties, including inflationary pressures and rising unemployment, alongside the persistent specter of tariff volatility. Despite these global tensions, it's interesting to note that the United States and China are still identified as the primary drivers of this modest growth. China, a critical market, is forecast to achieve a 3 percent year-over-yea...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved from a futuristic concept to a cornerstone of global economic transformation. According to the latest IDC market study, investments in AI solutions and services will reach a cumulative global impact of $22.3 trillion by 2030. This growth underscores AI's influence across industries, reshaping business models, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving innovation at unprecedented scales. The Rise of AI as an Economic Driver AI has become an integral part of mainstream business growth strategies. In 2025 alone, IDC predicts that AI investments will contribute significantly to global GDP growth, with organizations leveraging AI to optimize processes, personalize customer experiences, and drive data-driven decision-making. Generative AI (GenAI), in particular, is expected to boost operational efficiency, enabling businesses to automate complex tasks and allocate resources more strategically. AI adoption spans diverse sectors; for example: Ma...

The rapid evolution of digital payment technologies is reshaping global financial apps, with instant payment platforms emerging as a transformative force. These innovative payment systems are streamlining transactions and also driving financial inclusion or economic growth across diverse markets. The recent worldwide market study by ABI Research provides compelling evidence of the explosive growth in instant payment transactions. Instant Payments Market Development According to ABI findings, the top eight global instant payment platforms are projected to see their transaction volumes skyrocket from 213 billion in 2023 to 681.1 billion by 2028. This remarkable growth trajectory underscores the increasing adoption and importance of instant payment solutions in our increasingly online world. One key driver is the global rise in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payments. "Account-to-account wallets, which have seen widespread use in P2P transfers, are experiencing increased usage given their use in...

Imagine a building that operates like a self-sufficient island, generating its own clean energy to power everything from lights to air conditioning, all while leaving no carbon footprint. That's the essence of a net-zero energy building, a revolutionary concept poised to transform the real estate landscape. Think of it as cutting the cord on your monthly energy bills, slashing greenhouse gas emissions, and attracting eco-conscious building tenants -- all while potentially boosting your asset value. The count of net-zero energy buildings worldwide will experience significant expansion in the coming years, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. Net-Zero Energy Buildings Market Development Driven by climate change imperatives, policy support, and maturing technologies, the market is forecasted to grow at a 29 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) through 2027. "With buildings accounting for over one-third of global energy consumption, the real estate...

In hindsight, the outcome of short-sighted CEO Return to Office (RTO) mandates was somewhat predictable. Less than one-third of employees now report they are engaged, enthusiastic, and energized by their work, according to the latest market study by Gartner. This research was showcased during their recent "ReimagineHR Conference" event. Gartner defines engagement in three ways: Employees feeling energized. Employees find purpose in their work. Employees feel empowered to do valuable work. The problem: many are not engaged. Employee Engagement Crisis Explained "Despite organizations making investments in engaging their employees, our research shows that almost 70 percent don’t feel as engaged as they should be and aren't feeling a meaningful connection to their job," said Keyia Burton, senior principal analyst at Gartner . Figuring out how to actually impact employee engagement is a huge priority because it has a significant impact on several key business outcome...

Even the savviest CEO's desire for a digital transformation advantage has to face the global market reality -- there simply isn't enough skilled and experienced talent available to meet demand. According to the latest market study by IDC, around 60-80 percent of Asia-Pacific (AP) organizations find it "difficult" or "extremely difficult" to fill many IT roles -- including cybersecurity, software development, and data insight professionals. Major consequences of the skills shortage are increased workload on remaining digital business and IT employees, increased security risks, and loss of "hard-to-replace" critical transformation knowledge. Digital Business Talent Market Development Although big tech companies' layoffs are making headlines, they are not representative of the overall global marketplace. Ongoing difficulty to fill key practitioner vacancies is still among the top issues faced by leaders across industries. "Skills are difficul...

Despite the current economic uncertainty, 72 percent of high technology industry leaders in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe have plans to grow revenue in 2023, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. Furthermore, nearly half of those tech industry leaders believe they will be able to outperform their competition this year, as the upside opportunities for cloud and SaaS vendors continue to grow. Business Technology Market Development Gartner conducted a survey in the second half of 2022 to understand how economic turbulence poses challenges to general managers, how confident they are in their ability to achieve their plans, and the measures planned to tackle the uncertainty. "Outperforming the market through an uncertain market requires an above average ability to execute on revenue ambitions," said Mark McDonald, vice president at Gartner . Moreover, the Gartner survey results indicate that almost half of the firms (46 percent) do not have a s...

Hybrid and fully remote work are inevitable in the Global Networked Economy where high-performance talent demands flexibility from employers. To enable these progressive work models, organizations are investing in a wide range of technologies to support more agile types of employment.  According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), leading organizations will spend nearly $1 billion on the Future of Work (FoW) in 2023 -- that's an increase of 18.8 percent over 2022. Future of Work Market Development "Work models continue to evolve, but 37 percent of decision-makers in a recent global survey note that Remote and Hybrid work models will be an embedded part of accepted work practices, supported by a continued shift to the cloud, increasingly instrumented and interconnected physical workplaces, and intelligent digital workspaces," said Holly Muscolino, group vice president at IDC . According to the IDC assessment, organizations must mak...

While it's true that CEOs plan ongoing spending in IT during 2023, it likely won't include a significant investment in end-user computing devices. By and large, digital transformation continues to be driven by software advances. Worldwide shipments of total end-user computing devices are projected to decline by 4.4 percent in 2023, to a total of 1.7 billion units, according to the latest market study by Gartner. Note, in 2022, the devices market already declined by 11.9 percent. "The depressed economic market will continue to dampen demand for devices throughout 2023. In fact, end-user spending on devices is projected to decline 5.1 percent in 2023," said Ranjit Atwal, senior director at Gartner . End-User Computing Market Development Just as business confidence was beginning to recover after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now fallen significantly in most regions. Moreover, Gartner doesn't expect relief from inflation and the bottom of the recession to...

As we look to the year ahead, there will be significant challenges and opportunities facing the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) role. In order to be successful, savvy HR leaders must be prepared to take proactive steps that adapt and evolve. "HR leaders have faced an increasingly unpredictable environment amid many organizations mandating a return to office, permanently higher turnover and burnt out employees," said Emily Rose McRae, senior director at Gartner . HR Innovation Market Development One of Gartner's key predictions for 2023 is that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will continue to increase within the enlightened digital workplace. This transition will require HR leaders to develop new skills and competencies in order to effectively manage and lead teams that are increasingly relying on these enabling technologies. Additionally, HR leaders will need to ensure that their organizations are investing in the necessary infrastructure and re...

Executive leaders of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) are seeking guidance on how to apply new business technology in their manufacturing operations. CIOs and CTOs are tasked with gaining insight into the best solutions for digital transformation. ABI Research evaluated the impact politics, regulation, the economy, supply chain, ESG, and technology are having on FMCG, pharma, producers of steel, chemicals, pulp and paper -- as well as the mining and oil & gas sectors. Digital Transformation Market Development "Our assessment found that the FMCG sector is under pressure from all sides," says Michael Larner, industrial & manufacturing research director at ABI Research . Securing raw materials is challenging considering lockdowns in China and limited grain supplies from Ukraine. Supply shocks are raising input costs, and operating costs are rising with higher energy costs coupled with the pressure to pay higher wages and work sustainably. "We all hoped that with th...

Today's electronic commerce is an engine of the world’s Global Networked Economy. It experienced an uplift in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, business and consumer online transactions contributed to significantly greater growth momentum. According to a survey by The Economist, brick-and-mortar retailers have shifted rapidly to eCommerce. However, many traditional retailers are still recovering from the backlash of the ongoing pandemic. eCommerce Payment Market Development Juniper Research's latest market study has found the volume of global eCommerce transactions made via OEM Pay will exceed 30.7 billion by 2026 -- that's rising from 4.7 billion transactions in 2022. This outstanding market growth of 550 percent will be driven by rapidly increasing customer demands of frictionless retail checkout experiences across multiple eCommerce channels. Juniper's new research findings predicted that OEM Pays will benefit, ...

Across the globe, more organizations are investing in the modernization of information technology (IT) infrastructure and associated service offerings. For many senior executives, the motivation is obvious and compelling. While most of the IT spending within the commercial enterprise sector is targeted at fueling their digital business growth agenda, the public sector also has its own compelling goals and objectives. Worldwide government IT spending is now forecast to total $557.3 billion in 2022 -- that's an increase of 6.5 percent from 2021, according to the latest global market study by Gartner. Government IT Market Development "Governments will continue to accelerate investments in digital technologies to respond and recover from the continuing evolution of public health uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Irma Fabular, vice president at Gartner . According to the Gartner assessment, the disruptions caused by the pandemic have also reinforced a key digit...

New research uncovers growing momentum for the "Great Resignation" phenomenon. As employers implement their forward-looking strategies, including decisions around hybrid work and increased flexibility, a gap is emerging between executive and employee perceptions, according to the latest market study by Gartner. "We examined the key areas crucial to planning for the future employee experience and discovered significant dissonance between employee and executive sentiment across all," said Alexia Cambon, director at Gartner . "If left unaddressed, this division may lead to a critical failure to build trust and employee buy-in for future of work plans." Flexible Work Market Development The Gartner survey shows that 75 percent of executive leaders believe they are already operating within a culture of flexibility, yet only 57 percent of employees indicate that their organizational culture embraces flexible work. Furthermore, nearly three-quarters of executives ...

How companies pay each other is important. All enterprises need access to effective B2B (Business to Business) payment systems in order to compete effectively. So, what's changed, given the current economic environment? The payments market has been the target of disruption. That said, despite the introduction of new innovations, traditional payment methods are still dominant in the B2B marketplace. It's a highly challenging financial system for many businesses, with a lack of transparency causing difficulties for decision-makers. Traditional commercial bank transfers are not fast enough to make B2B payments management a streamlined process. In the cross-border arena, these challenges are magnified due to high costs. Furthermore, the slow digital transformation of B2B payments means that established systems are unable to cope with the current global pandemic. Therefore, the B2B payments ecosystem must evolve. B2B Payments Market Development According to the latest wo...

With growing interest in the Fintech market, other related markets are being analyzed to see if technology can revolutionize business processes. One area which has been disrupted by technology is regulatory compliance, primarily within the financial services industry. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was the first body in the world to recognize and support the growth of Regtech in 2015. However, prior to this, companies were already seeking to leverage technology to help with their increased regulatory burdens. Regtech is defined by the FCA as a subset of Fintech that focuses on technologies that may facilitate the delivery of regulatory requirements more efficiently and effectively than existing capabilities. Regtech Applications Market Development The appeal of Regtech is that financial institutions can utilize new and disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data analytics, biometrics, blockchain or chatbots to reduce their overall spendin...

After two years of collecting data from payment networks, payment processors, financial institutions, digital wallet providers and retailers worldwide, 451 Research has launched its Global Unified Commerce Forecast. Here's a summary of their findings. "The confluence of new technologies, new entrants and new consumer demands has catapulted retail into a state of flux," said Jordan McKee, research director at 451 Research . "These market shifts are influencing not only the way in which shoppers choose to obtain their desired goods and services, but also how and where they spend their money." Digital Commerce Market Development Their new research report provides quantitative guidance on these shifts in purchase activity in developed and emerging markets around the world. Among many findings, the latest 451 Research market study found several unique trends that will transform the retail sector in the years ahead. One out of every ten dollars spent global...

While traditionally sharing has been an activity between friends and family, the sharing of items as a business model is not in fact a new concept. Previously, we have seen the rise and fall of the loaning of some physical items (i.e. movies on DVD). However, with the introduction of new digital formats, alongside the rapid expansion of the online ecosystem, the sharing of not just physical goods, but also skills and talent, has grown exponentially. Today, the Sharing Economy includes numerous and varied service offerings and business models. Sharing Economy Market Development A new market study from Juniper Research has found that the sharing economy is now primed to experience substantial growth, as players in more established sectors -- such as transport and residential or commercial space -- press their first mover advantage. The market study findings have resulted in a forecast that the sharing economy will reach $40.2 billion in 2022, in terms of platform provider revenue...