Digital Lifescapes

In an era where wireless connectivity is pervasive, Satellite Internet of Things (IoT) can change industries, offering leaders unprecedented opportunities to drive efficiency and innovation. As industries across the globe seek to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability, satellite IoT emerges as a pivotal enabler. According to a worldwide study by ABI Research, the Satellite IoT market is forecast to reach $4 billion by 2030, with over 26 million connections anticipated. "Prominent satellite IoT providers such as Inmarsat, ORBCOMM, Globalstar, Myriota, and hiSky have been actively working together with their partners to expand their service offerings and enhance connectivity solutions," said Jake Saunders, vice president at ABI Research . Satellite IoT Market Development The satellite IoT market's expansion is largely fueled by its application across key verticals, including agriculture, energy and utilities, fisheries and aquaculture, and environmental monitorin...

The global energy landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are rapidly gaining ground as we transition towards net-zero emissions. However, this transition hinges on a crucial but often overlooked factor: the modernization and expansion of our aging power grids across the globe. For decades the backbone of our electricity delivery system has been largely static. The influx of variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind presents a new challenge. Smart Power Grid Market Development Integrating these resources effectively requires a Smarter, more Responsive grid that can handle fluctuating power generation and efficiently distribute it across vast distances. This is where a new trillion-dollar energy market growth opportunity emerges. According to a recent worldwide market study by ABI Research, global investments in public grid digitalization and transmission network expansion must exceed $4 trillion by 2030 to meet our ...

The world's electrical grids require significant modernization to handle the transition to renewable energy sources and enable more efficient energy distribution and consumption. Enter the smart grid that uses digital technologies to automatically monitor energy flows, integrate renewable sources, and self-heal from outages. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the benefits of smart grid adoption include cost savings for utilities, a reduction in environmental impacts, improved grid reliability, and greater consumer control over energy usage. However, significant barriers are slowing widespread smart grid deployment globally. Smart Grid Market Development The financial incentive for utilities to invest in smart grid infrastructure is now overwhelmingly clear. Juniper forecasts that worldwide savings from smart grids in terms of reduced energy and emissions costs will grow from just $84 million in 2024 to $290 billion annually by 2029 -- that's a 2...

In spite of the volatile global semiconductor industry being plagued by ongoing macroeconomic and political disruption issues, the secure microcontroller (MCU) market should continue to prosper. While the forecasted total available market has contracted -- especially in the smart home, retail, advertising, and supply chain spaces -- secure MCU shipments will likely be temporarily affected.  According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, the secure microcontrollers market will grow to reach $2.2 billion by 2026. Secure Microcontroller Market Development "In part, this is due to the niche nature of security demand which commands a higher value proposition," says Michela Menting, research director at ABI Research . In the short term, potential supply chain issues due to trade embargoes and global COVID-19 pandemic quarantines at manufacturing sites will affect availability. Yet, demand for security, especially in general purpose microcontrollers, will ensure the...

The electric utility sector has evolved and the market has become increasingly complex. Concerns around how energy is created and utilized, coupled with climate change, nudged suppliers toward more renewable energy. Problems in the global energy supply chain have underlined the increasing necessity of renewables, such as solar and wind power, translating into the advent of alternative energy generation. However, renewables do not generate electricity continuously, and therefore these systems must be automated, plus the energy generated must be stored and distributed more efficiently. Smart Grid Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, cost savings from Smart Grid deployments will exceed $125 billion globally in 2027 -- that's increasing from just over $33 billion in 2022. This 279 percent growth will be driven by rising energy prices, with smart grid technologies playing a critical role in increasing electric network efficiency and opti...

When governments invest in new infrastructure, information technology (IT) is now a key component of their development plan. Very large municipal governments, in particular, are spending more on Smart City projects that provide their citizens with many unique advantages. Furthermore, the IT infrastructure advancement trend is gaining momentum across the globe, as established and emerging technology applications are adopted by the forward-thinking leaders. Global spending on smart cities initiatives are forecast to total nearly $124 billion this year -- that's an increase of 18.9 percent over 2019, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Smart City Initiative Market Development The top 100 cities investing in smart initiatives in 2019 represented around 29 percent of global spending, and while growth will be sustained among the top spenders in the short term, the market is quite dispersed across midsize and small cities investi...

Smart Cities are applying Internet of Things (IoT) based solutions. A smart city is an ecosystem that places emphasis on the use of digital technology to drive efficiency for existing social, economic and environmental processes, while developing new, data-driven processes. According to findings from the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, smart traffic management and smart parking initiatives will save 4.2 billion man-hours annually by 2021 -- that's equivalent to each city driver saving nearly an entire working day per year. Juniper analysts also found that while the smart city remains a relatively young concept, many metropolitan governments are beginning to recognize the need to improve in terms of competitiveness and quality of life. Moreover, increasing urban populations around the world are creating pressure on city resources, driving the need for new and efficient solutions. Smart City Transportation Juniper’s comprehensive study found that traffic ea...

The progressive American companies have adopted the notion that there's real value in connecting their Things to the public Internet. International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts that U.S. firms will invest more than $232 billion in the Internet of Things (IoT) hardware, software and services market in 2016. Furthermore, IDC expects IoT revenues in the U.S. market will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.1 percent over the 2015-2019 forecast period -- eventually reaching more than $357 billion in 2019. According to the IDC assessment, the industries leading the way in U.S. IoT investments are Manufacturing and Transportation at $35.5 billion and $24.9 billion, respectively, in 2016. U.S. IOT Market Development Momentum However, cross-industry investment -- which represents use cases that are common to all industries -- will approach $31 billion this year. The IoT use cases receiving the greatest levels of investment from U.S. organizations across these t...

As national governments release their plans to decrease carbon dependency and adapt to the ongoing challenges of climate change, regional and local energy policies represent one of the most effective vehicles for achieving these new goals. Meanwhile, municipal leaders across the globe are assuming a more proactive role in the process of creating sustainable energy policies, by developing their own comprehensive energy efficiency and carbon reduction goals. According to the latest worldwide market study by Navigant Research, the result has been a number of ambitious energy projects supported by innovations in smart grid technology, demand management, alternative or renewable generation, and distributed energy resources. For cities and utilities, developing an effective cross-agency smart energy and smart city strategy enables the optimal use of energy resources and reduces redundant investments in infrastructure. According to the Navigant assessment, such a strategy also improve...

Most utility companies have a plan to utilize technologies that are key ingredients of the Internet of Things (IoT). As an example, the Smart Grid Sensor market will expand rapidly in the coming decade, with revenues growing nearly ten-fold, according to the latest worldwide market study by IHS. IHS forecasts that while the smart grid sensor market only accounted for less than 20 percent of total sensor sales revenues in 2014, they will account for 75 percent of the total sensor market in 2021. The smart grid sensor market is expected to reach the $100 million mark in 2017. To date, the market for smart grid sensors is centered mainly in North America, where there is a mixture of a few large installations and many smaller pilot projects. There's a pressing need to monitor the electric grid in real-time, and utilities are expected to gain greater value by installing smart grid sensors, which can potentially improve utility operations and performance. The United States marke...

What strategies are being employed in leading smart cities? What are the key trends shaping the smart city landscape? And, what is the value of cost savings that can be expected from smart city projects? These are the questions that were asked during a new global market study, and an assessment of the resulting findings. Juniper Research has revealed the top ranking Smart Cities globally for 2015. They are (in order of rank), Barcelona, New York, London, Nice and Singapore. The Juniper Smart City Rankings have been compiled following an analysis of the Smart capabilities offered in each city, with particular focus on their use of smart grids, smart traffic management and smart street lighting. Furthermore, the ranking considered other aspects of a Smart city -- such as technological capability and social cohesion, among others. It was found that the leader, Barcelona, performed consistently well across all metrics and serves as an exciting model of success from which others can...

Local government CIOs across the globe have been planning to introduce new technology-based services into their communities. New digital services may be coming to a municipality near you, perhaps as soon as 2015. A smart city is one that has digital technology embedded across all city functions. The global smart city market will be valued at $1.565 trillion in 2020, according to the latest worldwide market study by Frost & Sullivan. Over 26 global cities are expected to be smart cities in 2025 -- with more than 50 percent of these smart cities from Europe and North America. By 2025, it is expected that around 58 percent of the world's population -- about 4.6 billion people -- will live in urban areas. In developed regions and cities, the urban population in cities could account for up to 81 percent of total population. This will pose serious challenges for city planners, who will have to re-think how they provide basic city services to residents in a sustainable manner. ...

The Global Networked Economy is entering the next phase of its ongoing evolution. Emerging phenomena, such as the Industrial Internet, will help to launch progressive applications that will require new market development leadership. The outlook for these upside opportunities are boundless. Imagine a highway where cars are able to safely navigate to their destinations without a driver. Imagine a home where an elderly patient’s health is closely monitored by her hospital physician. Imagine a city that significantly reduces waste through sensor-embedded water pipes, buildings, parking meters and more. These are no longer scenarios from a distant future -- they're happening today. Nearly 12 billion internet-connected devices will be in use worldwide by the end of 2014, according to the latest global market study by Strategy Analytics. That is equivalent to 1.7 devices for every person on the planet -- a ratio which will rise to 4.3 by 2020, when 33 billion devices will be in us...

The Internet of Things is a compelling concept, especially where industrial applications are involved. Electrical power generation and distribution is one of those applications. But there are also other practical apps within the energy sector. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, spending on big data and analytics in the energy industry will amount to $7 billion in 2014, representing over 15 percent of the overall cross-industry spending. In 2019, the spending on energy analytics will exceed $21 billion, following a CAGR of 25 percent. As a sector, energy has traditionally been very conservative -- slow to change and unimaginative -- in adopting new forms of business technology, but the resistance to change has already started softening. "Greater shareholder pressure is pushing many energy groups to improve their returns after having it easy in the past. In such a highly asset-intensive field, huge cost savings are possible by making the operations more dr...

The Chinese government has been an early pioneer of smart grid technology. Since embarking on its national smart metering project at the turn of the decade, more than 200 million new electricity meters have already been deployed across China. However, according to the latest market study by ABI Research, only around 50 million have so far been connected with bi-directional communication that can support true smart meter capabilities -- such as 'demand response' measurement. In short, this key smart meter project has not been that intelligent -- relatively speaking. But it is set to get smarter, and that means another wave of opportunity for utility industry technology providers. China’s smart meter rollout is a key deployment representing a significant share of smart meter shipments and investment worldwide. Furthermore, connectivity technology semiconductor providers -- such as ST Microelectronics, Silicon Labs, and Atmel -- are likely to benefit. Smart meter vendors -...

The various utility applications for communications networks and associated investment in infrastructure will grow rapidly in 2013, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Moreover, spending by utilities transitioning their networks to Smart Grid capabilities reached $23.68 billion in 2012. Highlighting the growing momentum behind the spending, the 2012 total alone represents 48 percent of Smart Grid spending to date. During the year, spending on transmission and distribution capabilities surpassed smart meter investments as utilities increasingly looked to improve their core networks and maximize the benefits of their growing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployments. "Utilities are investing in the roll-out of a broad assortment of new applications and spending is driving new services from a wide range of vendors and consultants,” says Jonathan Collins, principal analyst at ABI Research . The complexity of the new hardware, applications, and the...

China is set to achieve another key economic metric, they're overtaking Japan as the largest spender on information technology (IT) goods and services within the region. According to the latest market study by IDC, IT spending in China is closing in on Japan. By 2013, IT spending in China will reach $173 billion, exceeding Japan's market by 4 percent. IDC attributes the IT spending growth in the China to two key areas: growing demands of consumer IT, and the IT opportunities brought about by the government's 12th Five-Year Plan. "Personal consumer electronics will become more intelligent and expand toward small and medium-sized cities. Consumption upgrade, smart home, and intelligent auto, as well as intelligent housing and property management, will fuel the rapid growth of manufacturing and retail businesses as well as the service sector in the industrial chain, resulting in strong IT demand," said Lianfeng Wu, Associate Vice President, IDC China . The pers...

According to the latest market study by IDC Energy Insights , smart grid infrastructure investment will increase by 17.4 percent globally -- Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for hardware, software and services -- from 2010 to 2015 while overall spending will reach nearly $46.4 Billion worldwide in 2015. The Asia-Pacific region is forecast to experience the most growth in spending with a five-year CAGR of 33.7 percent. IDC Energy Insights identified 14 smart grid project types to help profile top investment priorities across the various regions of the world. They then reviewed data based on technology type (hardware, software and services), utility ownership (government owned or investor owned) and whether the utilities are electric only or a combination electric and gas. Utilities across the globe share the same or similar pressures and business drivers to make information and communications technology (ICT) investments in smart grid infrastructure. However, differences in re...

The Smart Grid initiative is an enormous effort -- intended to modernize aging electrical distribution and delivery infrastructure across the world. The global scale alone makes this a colossal task. Complicating this effort is the incredible variety of electrical systems throughout the world, and the vast maze of utilities that are currently managing them. Just in the U.S. market alone, there are more than 3,000 separate utilities, local governments, and private companies operating America's electrical grid. According to the latest market study by NPD In-Stat , they now forecast that by 2016, over 75 percent of all U.S. electric meters will be converted to smart meters. "Over the next five years, and for decades thereafter, the world will be deploying the smart grid," says Allen Nogee, Research Director at NPD In-Stat. Initially, most of this effort will be directed at smart meters, but once those are out, client devices, software, and home automation equipment...

Like the closely-related market for home energy management systems (HEMS), the smart appliances market has failed to develop as many in the industry had anticipated. Most internet connected appliance product applications are still in the early pilot project stage and have failed to reach retail outlets in any large number. However, according to the latest market study by ABI Research, shipments will soon begin to accelerate and eventually exceed 24 million units by 2017. With smart meter deployment growing apace, energy costs following a seemingly upward trajectory, and progress made on improving interoperability of all aspects of the smart grid, it is only a matter of time before shipments gather momentum. That being said, it is likely that it will take a couple of years for ultra-premium price tags to erode, and for dynamic pricing structures to become more widely implemented in order to stimulate consumer demand. The number of major appliance manufacturers that have used r...