Research firm Omdia says technology companies will face increased pressure in 2027 to convert heavy investment into measurable economic and operational outcomes, identifying four forces it expects to shape the competitive landscape: AI monetisation, persistent supply chain disruption, digital sovereignty, and “physical AI”.
In a report released on September 30, Omdia said the industry focus is shifting from what technology can do to what it can deliver in terms of returns, productivity and competitive advantage.
Omdia said the first force is a rebalancing of AI from investment to monetisation. Citing its research, the firm said 59% of organisations expect their AI budgets to increase by 10% or more in 2027, and argued that enterprises will increasingly assess AI programs on return on investment and productivity gains rather than technical capability alone.
Supply chain disruption was identified as the second force, with Omdia arguing that technology companies should plan for ongoing volatility rather than expect a return to pre-pandemic conditions. It pointed to AI infrastructure demand, component constraints, geopolitical pressures, energy requirements and macroeconomic uncertainty, and said hardware delays are impacting 60% of PC channel partners.
On digital sovereignty, Omdia said more than 100 countries are pursuing initiatives aimed at greater control over data, infrastructure, AI and digital supply chains, but warned that full technological independence is rarely practical. It said organisations will need to decide what must be controlled in-house and what can remain dependent on partnerships, balancing additional costs and complexity against business value.
The fourth force, “physical AI”, refers to intelligence moving beyond screens and software into connected hardware and environments, driven by advances in edge computing, sensors and connected devices. Omdia said global humanoid robot shipments are expected to exceed 700,000 units by 2030, and argued that the trend will raise new questions around governance, safety, liability, integration and trust.
“The defining technology story of 2027 will not simply be what comes next, but what happens as the investment and innovation of recent years meets economic and operational reality,” Omdia Chief Research Officer Evan Kirchheimer said in the release. “AI needs to demonstrate returns. Supply chain disruption needs to be planned for rather than waited out. The perceived imperative of digital sovereignty brings difficult choices around cost and access. And as AI moves into the physical world, businesses face an entirely new set of opportunities and responsibilities.”
Omdia said it will track the four forces through 2027 as part of its “Forces Shaping 2027” program, launched alongside an e-book and updates to research navigation using “AI-enabled access”.
