Experts detail enterprise IoT shifts

Enterprise IoT is entering a new phase, according to analysts at IoT Analytics, who forecast the market will be worth $324 billion in 2025, a 13 per cent annual increase. They argue IoT has become a basic capability for many companies, but note fewer than 1 per cent of current IoT connections use true edge AI. That shortfall is now shaping the next stage: systems that do more than monitor and report, using AI to optimise and act across assets, sites and wider ecosystems. By the end of 2025, enterprise deployments are expected to account for 45 per cent of the 24.1 billion connected IoT devices.

The researchers highlight three main shifts behind this growth. First, hardware design is changing as intelligence moves from the cloud to the edge, with chipmakers building AI accelerators and NPUs directly into microcontrollers for real-time decisions. Second, connectivity is evolving to support more autonomous operations, with RedCap 5G and satellite links creating hybrid networks; shipments of RedCap 5G chipsets are projected to grow at an 83 per cent CAGR through 2030. Third, industrial software is moving from passive tools to active assistants and agents, as major vendors push more automated workflow management into their platforms.