Third annual global IoT survey launched by Farnell

The survey is open from 15th September to 1st December 2020 with results of the survey to be announced in spring 2021. All participants in the survey can also enter a competition with the opportunity to win:

• An iPad Pro 11-inch
• A £250 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)
• A £50 Amazon gift card (or local currency equivalent)

The Farnell 2020 annual IoT survey is open to engineers working on IoT solutions. This year’s questions have been enhanced for a truly deep dive into the IoT industry and responses will provide greater insight into the technologies, challenges, and opportunities designers of IoT solutions face. The results will show how the IoT industry is changing year-on-year, revealing the full range of potential applications and market trends and how the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the design process is growing.

Understanding the impact COVID-19 has on IoT developments is also a key focus. While industrial systems may be adversely affected by the pandemic it is likely that medical diagnosis and automated test systems could very well experience rapid growth.

Key results from the 2019survey showed the growing role of hardware in the design process for IoT solutions. Design engineers indicated that they use a wide range of off the shelf hardware platforms to accelerate the speed of development and shorten time to the market.

Fifty-four percent of developers confirmed they are now using single board computers, from brands such as Raspberry Pi or Arduino, as they provide ready-to-use embedded development platforms for building end-products. Almost half of respondents said they used AI in their design in 2019. Interoperability and certification to standards continued to be identified as key to accelerating the benefits of IoT in both the 2018 and 2019 surveys.

Farnell’s research also suggests that opportunities within the IoT will continue to grow over the next five years with key application areas expected to include home automation, industrial automation and control, smart factories and smart buildings.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing for Farnell, said: “The IoT continues to be one of the most prominent global technology trends, and opportunities are growing exponentially in our rapidly changing market. The results from our annual global survey will provide engineers working in IoT with greater insight into the technology solutions currently available in the market and support efficient decision-making when identifying new systems and overcoming common issues.

“The responses will also help shape the product range and technical resources offered by Farnell to enable us to provide increased support to our customers. Our annual IoT survey gives engineers from around the world a chance to highlight the trends they see in the IoT space as well as the challenges they face and the solutions they seek.”

Farnell provides access to an extensive range of development tools for IoT and works with innovative providers to bring the latest for AI and security. Customers can find support and design resources including the IoT Hub, AI pages and an AI configurator on the Farnell website. Fast delivery is available on all major development boards for IoT including Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Computer, Avnet SmartEdge IIoT Gateway, Microsoft Azure Sphere Starter Kit, BeagleBone AI and Ultra96 V2.

To get involved in the Farnell global IoT survey and enter the competition click here.