The Tipping Point in IoT: Challenges and Opportunities Revealed by Arm’s Survey
When it comes to the Internet of Things (IoT), there are two camps: Optimists and pessimists. The pessimists perennially view the IoT as next-year’s technology. But I’m firmly planted in the former camp: I’m genuinely excited about the potential of transformative innovation that can be unleashed by IoT solutions. At the same time, I’m not Pollyannaish about the topic either. In any emerging technology sector, there are always barriers to overcome.
And at Arm, as we continue to deliver focused solutions, IP and other technologies to support innovators’ ambitions, we want to stay on top of the latest trends and challenges. That’s why we fielded a survey of IoT technologists in the global ecosystem to understand the challenges faced by developers, engineers, start-ups, and established OEMs from semiconductor partners to software providers, OEMs and more.
On the positive side, the respondents see consumer, cloud/data center and smart cities leading the embrace of IoT, with 5G technology, cloud-native development and machine learning being among the important solutions enablers. They’re truly excited about the possibility of gathering vast new data, analyzing it efficiently and using that to transform their businesses and customer experiences.
But they see challenges as well. Obstructing their transformative visions are lengthy and complex development cycles and the portability of software to newer hardware. They see value in making development more efficient with tools such as Arm Virtual Hardware, which lets developers virtually prototype their ideas and test software before committing to hardware. And they also see value in the how Arm ecosystem can ease portability of software to enable efficient development scaling.
They also see complexity when it comes to software compatibility. Developers believe in the importance of using the same architecture across all IoT products to make software development more efficient and scalable. In addition software reuse, reduced costs, and reduced learning time for development teams were also identified as important considerations that can be addressed by using a consistent architecture.
The survey revealed that the most significant business challenge is ensuring product security throughout the development and end-of-life phases. They see a need to continue improving security from design through deployment and into the field, and they acknowledge that’s driven in part but demands for enhanced security from their own partners and customers.
Other challenges include slowed global supply chains, new laws and regulations, delayed access to the newest hardware and IoT technologies, and the lack of certification and standardization for enhanced security.
There’s no doubt that the IoT industry sits at a tipping point. Arm’s survey provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in IoT development and reflects the enthusiasm and optimism with which innovators view the coming years of IoT opportunity.
Download the report
Any re-use permitted for informational and non-commercial or personal use only.
Editorial Contact
Latest on X
Don't hit the brakes! 🏁
At #62DAC, Suraj Gajendra, joined AMD, Siemens & Collins Aerospace to explore how software-defined infrastructure & system-level modeling are cutting automotive development cycles and ushering in an era of AI-defined vehicles. ⚡…
Congrats to the @SamsungMobile team on a fantastic #GalaxyUnpacked! 👏
The new Galaxy Z Flip7 and Watch8, built on Arm CPU, showcase what’s possible with leading performance and efficiency for smarter, AI-first experiences.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7: A Pocket-Sized AI Powerhouse With a New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Compact in size, bold in capability – Galaxy Z Flip7 redefines the flip phone experience
okt.to
SME2🤝KleidiAI= The perfect match for matrix-heavy AI workloads on mobile
With 6x faster AI responses on models like Google's Gemma 3 & real-time text summarization in under a second, SME2 is built to scale next-gen AI features across devices - starting with your apps from today
📢 Mobile devs, get ready for a performance boost on matrix-heavy AI workloads with SME2.
Built into @Google’s XNNPACK and AI frameworks via Arm KleidiAI, now’s the time to make sure your apps use a supported stack to benefit - no code changes required: https://newsroom.arm.com/blog/arm-sme2-android-mobile-apps?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_content=newsroom&utm_campaign=mk24_developer_na
“You can’t load up a car with huge servers to run the model.” – Suraj Gajendra, VP Products and Solutions, Automotive
In a recent Arm Viewpoints podcast episode, Suraj and @silviusrus, VP of Software at @Wayve_AI, explore what today tells us about the future of autonomous…
Moore’s Law is slowing. AI demand isn’t.
Will Abbey joins @RAISESummit tomorrow to explore how the industry is meeting this compute collision, with smarter architectures, efficient design, and AI-ready infrastructure: https://okt.to/cLSZ86
As AI models become more efficient, Rene Haas and @OpenAI’s @markchen90 reflect on what’s next in the evolution of intelligence.
🎧 They explore the promise of AGI and how it could empower a new wave of entrepreneurship by making creation more accessible: https://okt.to/2UcJYm
Congrats to @RenesasGlobal on the RA8P1 MCU group, powered by Arm Cortex-M85, M33, and Ethos-U55.
Designed for on-device AI and ML, it brings advanced performance to next-gen voice and vision applications, alongside real-time analytics.👏
https://www.renesas.com/en/about/newsroom/renesas-sets-new-mcu-performance-bar-1-ghz-ra8p1-devices-ai-acceleration
AI is getting smaller, smarter, and moving to the edge.
As physical and agentic AI converge, scaling means finding the right mix of CPUs and specialized AI Accelerators to drive what's next.
Dive into the insights of our new Exec Insights report:
As Rene Haas shared with Bloomberg @technology Europe, meeting AI’s growing demands will require more energy and an infrastructure evolution.
That’s why we’re committed to delivering efficient compute solutions for AI - from cloud to edge, and at scale.🧠
From AI toys to robot dogs, we are powering the next wave of intelligent, energy-efficient robotics at the edge with partners like R2C2, DEEP Robotics and more!
Discover Arm's role in the robotics revolution🤖
https://okt.to/iGj5d3
Today we welcomed Lord Peter Mandelson, UK Ambassador to the USA, to our HQ in Cambridge.
Our presence across the UK and US drives innovation, enabling AI at scale, and supporting the industries shaping tomorrow.
Highlights from the visit below 📷
We’re proud to be named as one of the 2025 @TIME 100 Most Influential Companies!
With 310B+ chips shipped and Arm everywhere from the cloud to the car, this recognition reflects our foundational role in shaping the future of AI.
#TIME100Companies
➡️
ICYMI Mohamed Awad, SVP and GM of Arm’s Infrastructure Line of Business, took the stage at #62DAC to cover the infrastructure transformations needed to usher in the next era of AI including:
Tech Leadership
Ground Up Systems
A Collaborative Ecosystem
🔗https://okt.to/KZQ6Mo
You can forecast performance, but not breakthroughs.
@OpenAI’s @markchen90 joins Rene Haas on Tech Unheard to talk AI’s rapid rise, surprising capabilities, and what it takes to lead frontier research in a field evolving faster than anyone imagined. 🎧 https://okt.to/byq3g1
Edge AI will make manufacturing more intelligent, autonomous, and resilient than ever before.
Paul Williamson explains how edge AI is transforming industrial operations - from the production line to predictive analytics and beyond for @TheManufacturer.
Op-ed: Smarter factories, safer systems — how edge AI is rewiring industrial manufacturing
Paul Williamson, SVP & GM, IoT Line of Business, Arm, looks at how the convergence of IoT and edge AI is rev...
okt.to
Achieve faster time to market and unlock greater performance and efficiency with Arm Compute Subsystems.
Speaking at The Six Five Summit: AI Unleashed, Rene Haas breaks down what this means for developers and businesses alike. 👇
Building the future of fast and powerful AI computing depends heavily on the platform + ecosystem approach.
@Arm CEO, Rene Haas (@renehaas237), took the stage at The Six Five Summit: AI Unleashed, revealing how Arm is optimizing performance and accelerating time-to-market for…
This #INWED25, we’re celebrating the engineers reimagining what’s possible.
Together with our partners at @AstonMartinF1, we believe inclusion and innovation go hand in hand, because the future of STEM should be built for everyone, by everyone: https://okt.to/Oud7bl
The new Arm-based @Lenovo Chromebook Plus 14” is here, powered by @MediaTek’s Kompanio Ultra SoC and built on Armv9.
With AI features only on Arm like Iterative ImageGen and Smart Grouping, it’s a new chapter for accessible, on-device AI: https://okt.to/w9rvhd
Scaling isn’t just about growth, it’s about embracing change together.
On Tech Unheard, Rene Haas and @Wayve_AI CEO @alexgkendall talk about Arm’s evolution into a platform company, and the mindset shift needed to scale with purpose and unity.
🎧 https://okt.to/udvCHk
⚡️Chiplet Strategies
⚡️AI infrastructure
⚡️Ecosystem Development
Mohamed Awad, Eddie Ramirez, Kevork Kechichian and Suraj Gajendra will be at the 2025 DAC Conference June 22-24 to explore all of this and more.
See you there! #62DAC
What's next for compute is being built today, driven by our culture of innovation.
On the No Ordinary Tech, Paul Williamson shares how we’re enabling power-efficient AI across everything from the smallest devices to the infrastructure shaping tomorrow: https://okt.to/5cMKVY
What's next for compute is being built today driven by our culture of innovation.
On the No Ordinary Tech, Paul Williamson shares how we’re enabling power-efficient AI across everything from the smallest devices to the infrastructure shaping tomorrow: https://okt.to/5cMKVY
Last week Vince Jesaitis, Arm's Head of Global Government Affairs, attended the SCSP AI+ Expo and shared his vision for a bigger, bolder, future powered by AI and built on Arm. 💡
The time is now for taking strategic steps and doubling down on efficiency R&D, design talent, and…
Transformative. Accessible. Innovative.
Sophie, the star of our latest brand film, shared a bit about how RelaJet's AI-enabled audio processing devices are transforming the AI experience and creating smart, human-centered technology for everyday life. ✨
https://okt.to/QsXx3n
