Findings come from latest Colt IT Priorities research, questioning more than 1,200 IT leaders across 13 countries
Colt Technology Services, the global digital infrastructure company, today published insights from its latest IT Priorities Research questioning 1236 IT leaders in 13 countries across the US, Europe and Asia. The research found that among businesses currently investing in AI, one in five is spending US$750,000 or more annually on AI, while almost half the survey respondents are currently investing US$250,000 every year. Businesses in Singapore (27%), the UK (18%) and the US (14%) are investing over US$1m annually while more than one in four (27%) businesses in Hong Kong is investing US$750,000 – $999,999.
Businesses in Japan (90%), the US (84%), Germany (69%) and the UK (68%) are the most likely of all markets in the survey to say they are currently investing in AI.
When asked how they’re prioritising their AI spend, across all countries currently investing:
- 34% prioritise AI-driven innovation and product development
- 33% spend on Generative AI for content development
- 32% invest in cybersecurity and threat detection
- 31% investing in AI to enhance customer experiences
- 31% invest in AI to drive process optimisation and efficiency improvements
Looking ahead, the research found future investors – those organisations not currently investing in AI but planning to in the near future – are shifting their AI investment towards automation (37%), while staying consistent with current investors’ priorities of cybersecurity (35%) and enhancing customer experience (33%).
Buddy Bayer, chief operating officer, Colt Technology Services said, “This research is an unmissable chance to look behind the scenes, to find out how businesses are investing in and applying AI in day-to-day life. It shows just how many IT priorities they’re balancing. Despite the market differences, we’re all part of a connected global economy, and secure, software-driven digital infrastructure is crucial to keep it moving.”
The research revealed that:
- While adding AI/machine learning capabilities is most likely to be named as a priority (cited by 31% overall), the rating was particularly high for Italian businesses in the survey (40%) and those in Singapore (37%)
- ‘Security and resilience’ follows closely behind, cited by 29% on average, with 37% for Singapore and 32% for both France and Germany
Country highlights:
- The UK and US are most likely to focus on network flexibility, with 32% and 30% respectively naming it in their top priorities. These regions are also most likely to cite ‘using my network to explore new revenue streams’ as a priority (34% UK, 30% US)
- Japan (35%) and Germany (30%) are most likely to prioritise ‘reducing the environmental impact of my infrastructure’, with 28% in Japan and 26% in the Netherlands focused on understanding its environmental impact
- Italy (34%) and Spain (28%) are most likely to prioritise rolling out new collaboration and communications
- Almost one in four respondents (24%) in Sweden/Denmark and the UK cite moving to the cloud as a priority
- Hong Kong, the UK (both 27%) and Japan (24%) are more likely than other regions to focus on ‘integrating other countries into my network’
- Belgium (32%) and the Netherlands (31%) are most likely to prioritise IT solutions for remote workforces.
- More than one in five companies in France (21%) and around the same in Germany (20%) prioritise understanding the impact of quantum on their networks
- One in four companies in Japan (25%), 20% in France and 19% in Hong Kong are focusing their IT priorities to support Mergers and Acquisitions over the next 12 months
- Edge is a priority for Hong Kong (29%) and Japan (22%)
Buddy stated, “At Colt, we use the insights from this research to get closer to our customers, to understand and anticipate their challenges so we can build the best solutions and keep on delivering the exceptional customer experience we’re known for, now and in the future”.
Methodology
Intuit Research for Colt Technology Services surveyed 1,236 IT decision makers and those responsible for digital infrastructure services, in businesses across 13 regions (the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong)