by Freedonia Industry Studies
May 31, 2022
A big area for M&A activity in the last few years is in artificial intelligence, sensors, and related hardware.
The example of John Deere’s push into technology is a telling one. The company has been making many acquisitions in this area and this month announced it was acquiring artificial intelligence start up Light.
This announcement reflects two important trends:
1) It shows a legacy company increasingly moving into AI/robotics – a trend toward innovation that is occurring across industries and should not be ignored.
2) The company Deere acquired (Light) started out making cameras for smart phones, but then became a major player in autonomous vehicles by making advanced cameras and sensors – an example of a company taking something that was pretty basic and seeing a lot of downward cost competition and creating its own market by taking what it can already do into new markets.
Freedonia analysts continue to watch trends in AI, robotics, and other automation efforts across industries for additional opportunities.
For more information and discussion of opportunities, see The Freedonia Group’s extensive collection of off-the-shelf research, especially coverage in Construction & Building Products, Consumer Goods markets, and Automotive & Transport industries. Freedonia Custom Research is also available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.