At Automate 2026 in Chicago, Interact Analysis held more than 120 conversations with suppliers and technology providers. The message was not a broad-based rebound, but a more selective and durable automation investment cycle.
What stood out: investment is concentrating in semiconductors, data centres, automotive and life sciences; physical AI is moving into practical product roadmaps; and differentiation is shifting towards software, flexible architectures and services.
Five signals from the show floor
- Automation investment is returning selectively, with productivity and resilience at the centre.
- Physical AI is spreading across machine vision, collaborative robots and mobile robots.
- Machine vision is becoming a software, data and services platform.
- Regional autonomy and local sourcing are reshaping robotics narratives.
- Cyber resilience is becoming a product and market-access requirement.
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Explore the complete English Automate 2026 event report on interactanalysis.com.
View the full Automate event report