Intelligent automation primed for $47 billion revenue by 2030
November 2024
IT in Manufacturing
Intelligent automation goes beyond traditional automation systems by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) to manage more complex business processes. It drives innovation and creativity, making it essential for organisations looking to stay competitive in today’s market. According to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, the intelligent automation market is set to grow from $18 billion in 2023 to $47 billion in 2030, driven by advancements in AI, particularly the rapid adoption of generative AI (GenAI).
GlobalData’s latest report ‘Thematic Intelligence: Intelligent Automation’ reveals that AI is now integrated across most facets of intelligent automation. This new era of automation goes beyond simple task execution, allowing systems to analyse data, make decisions, and learn from interactions. This boosts efficiency and fosters innovation, potentially leading to a future where software bots not only perform tasks, but also drive strategic growth and creativity.
Nicklas Nilsson, strategic intelligence consultant at GlobalData comments: “Intelligent automation is transforming how businesses operate, not just enhancing efficiency, but fundamentally reshaping processes through AI-driven innovation. As automation evolves into a strategic asset for organisations, it unlocks new areas of creativity and growth. Companies that embrace this transformation will be better positioned to navigate the demands of an ever-changing business landscape.”
GenAI has emerged as a key driver in intelligent automation, expanding the scope of automatable tasks, and empowering non-technical employees to create their own solutions. In the past year, every major player in the field added GenAI capabilities through integrations with well-known solutions like ChatGPT and the development of bespoke copilot tools, allowing businesses to speed up innovation and broaden access to automation.
Nilsson continues: “GenAI’s ability to generate new, contextually relevant content from simple prompts has opened many possibilities. By democratising access and empowering employees without technical expertise to craft solutions, it accelerates innovation and boosts productivity across organisations. However, it is essential that companies establish strong governance frameworks to ensure these tools are used securely and effectively.
Despite its benefits, GenAI faces challenges related to governance, security and compliance. As automation becomes more advanced, companies will need to implement stricter controls to protect sensitive data and ensure their systems comply with industry regulations.
Nilsson concludes: “The future of intelligent automation will depend on a delicate balance between innovation and governance. As AI continues to evolve, businesses must ensure that their automation strategies are secure, complian, and equipped to handle the complexity of modern business operations.”
Further reading:
Install and commissioning time cut by 50% thanks to digital twin insights
Rockwell Automation
IT in Manufacturing
ECM Technologies, a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative and modular low-pressure carburising industrial furnaces, has developed a solution that removes many of the installation and commissioning challenges relating to the development, testing and deployment of large-scale heat treatment plants.
Read more...
Real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance in African data centres
ACTOM Electrical Machines
IT in Manufacturing
Running a data centre in Africa brings many challenges. Traditional maintenance strategies struggle to keep up with these realities. Predictive maintenance offers a different approach.
Read more...
Siemens ecosystem strengthens data and AI integration
Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has announced significant expansions to its Industrial Edge ecosystem, accelerating data and AI integration and releasing enhanced cybersecurity functionalities. These enable a seamless integration of IT and OT environments, optimise processes and reduce operational disruptions.
Read more...
Siemens manages shipbuilding process for HD Hyundai
Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Siemens has been selected by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering as a preferred partner to establish an integrated platform to manage the entire shipbuilding process as a single data flow to help ensure consistency across all its global shipyard facilities.
Read more...
Transforming the process industry through digitalisation
Endress+Hauser South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
By connecting field devices, systems and people, digitalisation creates new opportunities to optimise operations, enhance maintenance strategies and support continuous improvement. As a leading instrumentation provider and major source of process data, Endress+Hauser plays a key role in enabling this transformation.
Read more...
The OT operator’s guide to security and uptime on the plant
RJ Connect
IT in Manufacturing
The article addresses three common questions about industrial network deployment and maintenance, exploring ways to achieve better control and visibility with more efficiency.
Read more...
The assets you can’t see are the ones that can shut you down
IT in Manufacturing
ABEGuardOT is an asset management solution that delivers continuous, non-intrusive visibility across multi-vendor environments, including Siemens, Rockwell, ABB, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Emerson, GE and Yokogawa, with support for OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, Modbus and Profibus.
Read more...
Edge I/O NTS and the need for industrial speed
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
One of the most compelling solutions to emerge from industrial automation is Edge I/O NTS, which represents a natural evolution of computing from centralised servers to localised, device-level input/output processing, offering improved speed, efficiency and resilience.
Read more...
The next wave of AI-driven process automation
Schneider Electric South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
As process industries hurtle toward an AI-driven future, four powerful trends are set to redefine automation strategies in 2026: hyper automation, AI-first automation, low code/no code platforms, and advanced process intelligence.
Read more...
Huge increase in denial-of-service cyber threats
IT in Manufacturing
NETSCOUT has released its Distributed Denial-of-Service Threat Intelligence report, revealing sophisticated attacker collaboration, resilient botnets and compromised IoT infrastructure that drove more than eight million DDoS attacks worldwide.
Read more...
printer friendly version