AI & edge technologies top Hannover Messe 2025 trends
New research from IoT Analytics highlights the top ten industrial technology trends observed at Hannover Messe 2025.
IoT Analytics' latest report, based on comprehensive analysis at Hannover Messe 2025, has identified the principal trends influencing the industrial technology landscape. This 111-page research document offers in-depth insights into the state and future direction of industrial automation, driven extensively by the integration of artificial intelligence and advanced digital operations.
The prominence of generative artificial intelligence within industrial software was a notable theme, with businesses embedding these capabilities into their digital platforms and manufacturing workflows. The evaluation notes that agentic AI—technology capable of taking actions autonomously—has begun to emerge, though it remains at an early stage of development and adoption.
Edge technology also featured strongly among the key trends. Developments in edge-native design are enabling faster, more efficient data processing outside centralised cloud environments, contributing to greater responsiveness and improved operational security within industrial settings.
IoT Analytics identifies DataOps platforms as seeing increasing demand, with their role expanding up the technology stack. DataOps helps industrial companies better manage, integrate and operationalise their rapidly growing data resources, aligning collection, processing and insight generation with business objectives.
Another important development is the use of digital threads—connected digital records of a product's lifecycle—augmented by artificial intelligence. These are transforming design and engineering practices, allowing greater traceability and optimised decision-making throughout asset and production cycles.
Sensors and predictive maintenance are now more tightly integrated. The report observes a shift toward sensor-centric predictive maintenance systems, which are expanding into previously overlooked equipment asset classes, aiming to minimise downtime and enhance reliability.
The demand for private 5G networks across industry has risen, driven by the need for secure, scalable and reliable connectivity. However, IoT Analytics notes that integration remains a significant barrier for many organisations, slowing widespread adoption despite clear interest and value.
Sustainability efforts are evolving as companies introduce AI frameworks and platforms to track, manage and reduce environmental impact. Artificial intelligence is enabling more targeted approaches and generating actionable sustainability insights for manufacturers and industrial operators.
The concept of cognition in robotics is also advancing, with digital twins evolving from static virtual replicas to more dynamic, real-time industrial copilots. These AI-powered tools facilitate adaptive simulations, process planning and augmented production support on the factory floor.
"Industrial AI, edge-native architectures, and data-centric operations are the defining industrial technology trends in 2025. In our conversations with dozens of industrial tech vendors, most notably at Hannover Messe 2025, it has become clear that AI now dominates the industrial agenda. Vendors are racing to show meaningful progress, with many already moving beyond generative AI toward agentic workflows and more autonomous systems," Knud Lasse Lueth, Chief Executive Officer at IoT Analytics, said, providing perspective on these findings.
"AI is transforming every layer of the industrial technology stack — spanning edge, dataops, software solutions, and cloud. It was clear from Hannover Messe 2025 that every major industrial player is placing bets on AI—not just as an enhancement but as the engine room of their manufacturing strategy. This included applications ranging from copilots and industrial foundation models to AI-native edge stacks and digital twins. However, to unlock the next wave of value from AI, industrial companies must move beyond basic AI assistants and focus towards deeper integration across the technology stack and develop industry-focused AI solutions," Harsha Anand, Senior Analyst at IoT Analytics, stated, expanding on the role of artificial intelligence throughout the sector.
IoT Analytics reported an increased presence of edge technologies, DataOps applications, and AI-centred solutions at Hannover Messe, with many organisations demonstrating their current solutions in these areas for the first time. The research also highlights increasing collaboration within the technology ecosystem, as companies seek to accelerate industrial automation progress through partnership and knowledge sharing.
The IoT Analytics team, comprised of 20 analysts onsite, collected data and conducted interviews to assess these trends and benchmark them across vendors and sectors. Their event report includes 34 detailed insights and 118 topic or vendor-specific examples, as observed during the event.
The identified trends point towards a growing reliance on artificial intelligence as a fundamental operational component as manufacturers and industrial technology providers navigate new strategies for production, asset management, and process optimisation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
a day ago
- Techday NZ
Westcon-Comstor & Ericsson boost 5G growth in Australia & NZ
Westcon-Comstor has announced a collaboration with Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions to support enterprise connectivity and partner growth in Australia and New Zealand. The agreement is intended to accelerate the uptake of Ericsson's 5G solutions in the region, leveraging Westcon-Comstor's network of technology resellers, systems integrators, and service providers. This development extends the partnership between Westcon-Comstor and Ericsson, which already has a presence in the Asia Pacific region and was recently expanded to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The partnership's central aim is to enhance the adoption of Ericsson's enterprise-focused wireless offerings. These include Ericsson NetCloud, Cradlepoint routers, and Enterprise 5G solutions, all designed to give organisations access to public 5G, private 5G, and satellite connectivity. These technologies offer security features through simplified SASE and are expected to enable a range of operational and business transformations for enterprise customers. Westcon-Comstor will be responsible for deploying a suite of value-added services as part of this initiative. The services include education programmes, data-driven insights, and training and enablement resources to help channel partners maximise the value of the Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions portfolio. The increasing pace of 5G adoption in enterprise settings across Australia and New Zealand was highlighted by Ericsson. Julie Hens, SVP Global Distribution Partners, Enterprise Wireless Solutions at Ericsson, said, "Enterprise 5G connectivity in Australia and New Zealand is advancing at a fast pace because it is not only a viable alternative to wires but also a key catalyst to business transformation. Ericsson's existing successful partnership with Westcon in other countries is testament that this expanded partnership in ANZ, together with our shared solution providers, will support customers who are on their business transformation journey." Westcon-Comstor's leadership in Australia commented on the significance of the expansion into the Australian and New Zealand markets. Phil Cameron, Managing Director, Australia at Westcon-Comstor, said, "After achieving success in Asia, we're excited to expand our relationship with Ericsson into key markets, such as Australia and New Zealand." The benefits that Ericsson's solutions bring to Westcon-Comstor's partners were also noted in the announcement. Dave Rosenberg, Managing Director, New Zealand at Westcon-Comstor, said, "Ericsson is uniquely positioned to help our partners enter new markets with their world-class private 5G solutions – markets they may have never explored before." As part of ongoing engagement, Ericsson will present its latest technologies relevant to the Australia and New Zealand region at the 2025 Westcon-Comstor's Imagine: Resilient Futures event. Attendees at the event are invited to visit the Ericsson stand to gain further insights into the partnership and the opportunities offered by new 5G capabilities.
Techday NZ
a day ago
- Techday NZ
AI & edge technologies top Hannover Messe 2025 trends
New research from IoT Analytics highlights the top ten industrial technology trends observed at Hannover Messe 2025. IoT Analytics' latest report, based on comprehensive analysis at Hannover Messe 2025, has identified the principal trends influencing the industrial technology landscape. This 111-page research document offers in-depth insights into the state and future direction of industrial automation, driven extensively by the integration of artificial intelligence and advanced digital operations. The prominence of generative artificial intelligence within industrial software was a notable theme, with businesses embedding these capabilities into their digital platforms and manufacturing workflows. The evaluation notes that agentic AI—technology capable of taking actions autonomously—has begun to emerge, though it remains at an early stage of development and adoption. Edge technology also featured strongly among the key trends. Developments in edge-native design are enabling faster, more efficient data processing outside centralised cloud environments, contributing to greater responsiveness and improved operational security within industrial settings. IoT Analytics identifies DataOps platforms as seeing increasing demand, with their role expanding up the technology stack. DataOps helps industrial companies better manage, integrate and operationalise their rapidly growing data resources, aligning collection, processing and insight generation with business objectives. Another important development is the use of digital threads—connected digital records of a product's lifecycle—augmented by artificial intelligence. These are transforming design and engineering practices, allowing greater traceability and optimised decision-making throughout asset and production cycles. Sensors and predictive maintenance are now more tightly integrated. The report observes a shift toward sensor-centric predictive maintenance systems, which are expanding into previously overlooked equipment asset classes, aiming to minimise downtime and enhance reliability. The demand for private 5G networks across industry has risen, driven by the need for secure, scalable and reliable connectivity. However, IoT Analytics notes that integration remains a significant barrier for many organisations, slowing widespread adoption despite clear interest and value. Sustainability efforts are evolving as companies introduce AI frameworks and platforms to track, manage and reduce environmental impact. Artificial intelligence is enabling more targeted approaches and generating actionable sustainability insights for manufacturers and industrial operators. The concept of cognition in robotics is also advancing, with digital twins evolving from static virtual replicas to more dynamic, real-time industrial copilots. These AI-powered tools facilitate adaptive simulations, process planning and augmented production support on the factory floor. "Industrial AI, edge-native architectures, and data-centric operations are the defining industrial technology trends in 2025. In our conversations with dozens of industrial tech vendors, most notably at Hannover Messe 2025, it has become clear that AI now dominates the industrial agenda. Vendors are racing to show meaningful progress, with many already moving beyond generative AI toward agentic workflows and more autonomous systems," Knud Lasse Lueth, Chief Executive Officer at IoT Analytics, said, providing perspective on these findings. "AI is transforming every layer of the industrial technology stack — spanning edge, dataops, software solutions, and cloud. It was clear from Hannover Messe 2025 that every major industrial player is placing bets on AI—not just as an enhancement but as the engine room of their manufacturing strategy. This included applications ranging from copilots and industrial foundation models to AI-native edge stacks and digital twins. However, to unlock the next wave of value from AI, industrial companies must move beyond basic AI assistants and focus towards deeper integration across the technology stack and develop industry-focused AI solutions," Harsha Anand, Senior Analyst at IoT Analytics, stated, expanding on the role of artificial intelligence throughout the sector. IoT Analytics reported an increased presence of edge technologies, DataOps applications, and AI-centred solutions at Hannover Messe, with many organisations demonstrating their current solutions in these areas for the first time. The research also highlights increasing collaboration within the technology ecosystem, as companies seek to accelerate industrial automation progress through partnership and knowledge sharing. The IoT Analytics team, comprised of 20 analysts onsite, collected data and conducted interviews to assess these trends and benchmark them across vendors and sectors. Their event report includes 34 detailed insights and 118 topic or vendor-specific examples, as observed during the event. The identified trends point towards a growing reliance on artificial intelligence as a fundamental operational component as manufacturers and industrial technology providers navigate new strategies for production, asset management, and process optimisation.
Techday NZ
24-04-2025
- Techday NZ
Ericsson debuts clientless ZTNA for third-party access
Ericsson has announced the expansion of its NetCloud SASE product with a clientless Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solution aimed at improving secure connections for third-party and BYOD users. The new clientless ZTNA functionality aims to provide organisations with a way to securely connect external users to authorised resources, offering added security while addressing the challenges of managing access to both managed and unmanaged devices, particularly in environments that prioritise wireless connectivity. This expanded solution builds on Ericsson's existing client-based ZTNA, introducing a flexible system designed to support IT teams that often need to accommodate a diverse range of devices and users. According to Ericsson, a significant advantage is its application isolation approach, which creates a virtual 'air gap' between corporate resources and devices that may not be secure, thereby reducing the risk of malware infiltration. Highlighting the prevalence of related security incidents, Ericsson pointed to data from KPMG, which indicates that 73% of organisations have experienced at least one significant disruption linked to third-party cyber incidents within the past three years. Ericsson's new clientless ZTNA solution utilises embedded isolation technology, differentiating itself from other solutions that depend solely on access controls by initiating application sessions within isolated cloud containers when accessed from unsecured devices. "5G uniquely introduces a surge of IoT and OT assets, which are frequently monitored and maintained by third-party suppliers and contractors. Unlike legacy VPNs that provide broad network access and are difficult to implement, NetCloud ZTNA offers a straightforward, policy-based solution that ensures users have isolated access to resources based on the principle of least privilege," Pankaj Malhotra, Head of WWAN & Security, Enterprise Wireless Solutions at Ericsson, said. The key features of the NetCloud SASE with clientless ZTNA include allowing contractors and BYOD users to access isolated applications via a secure URL without the use of VPNs, clients, or special browsers. The system also isolates interactions between unmanaged users and corporate systems in cloud containers, safeguarding against potential malware risks. Furthermore, access is governed by granular policies based on user roles and device types, following the principle of least privilege. The system conducts continuous risk assessments by leveraging real-time analytics and intrusion detection and prevention tools, with the capability to immediately revoke access in response to changes in user context or risk profile. The architecture eliminates the need for static public IP addresses. It hides internal IP information, operating under a default-deny model and micro-segmentation policies to block lateral movement within networks. All features are managed within the NetCloud Manager platform for simplified deployment and oversight, and the solution integrates with existing enterprise identity and access management systems to streamline authentication and reduce the issue of identity sprawl. "VPNs fail to address modern secure access needs due to their complexity, management overhead, security vulnerabilities, and performance issues, making ZTNA a must. But ZTNA solutions that rely on agents make it difficult for overburdened IT teams to deploy to third parties needing access to corporate resources. For organisations adopting a wireless-centric strategy, NetCloud SASE clientless ZTNA offers a unique, isolation-based approach which grants access to specified assets while providing effective protection against malicious activity and the threat of malware," John Grady, Principal Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, now part of Omdia, said. NetCloud SASE with clientless ZTNA is now included as part of the NetCloud ZTNA license. The addition allows enterprises to avoid reliance on VPNs, clients, or browser plug-ins, while providing what Ericsson describes as unified management for both security and connectivity solutions, including those related to 5G wireless WAN and SD-WAN.
