Avnet's fifth annual Avnet Insights survey has revealed that engineers advance AI adoption while addressing operational and design challenges.
"While the survey focuses on major global design hubs, the findings serve as a critical framework for Southeast Asian markets," said Tan Aik Hoon, regional president for Avnet South Asia, Korea and Avnet United. "As ASEAN grows as a global manufacturing powerhouse, the 'commercial-first' AI strategies highlighted in the report offer a clear path forward for engineers in Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam looking to maintain competitive speeds."
Accelerating AI adoption
In APAC, China leads in large-scale deployment while Japan focuses on reliability and long product lifecycles.
In China, AI adoption exceeds the global average of 56%, as engineers use AI across industries such as automotive, industrial automation, and smart manufacturing.
Japan and other APAC markets are prioritising practical applications to enhance efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.
Process automation (42%), predictive maintenance (28%), and fault/anomaly detection (28%) are the Top AI applications across the region.
Obstacles and skill requirements
Among the most common obstacles cited in the region were data quality (46%) and continuous maintenance (54%). Regional teams are also investing in model optimisation (17%) and data analysis (16%).
"The report confirms that AI has entered its most critical phase: at-scale implementation," concluded Tan. "In a market where production speed drives optimism, Avnet helps bridge the regional resource gap by providing the technical expertise and ecosystem support our partners need to lead—not just participate—in Asia-Pacific's technological evolution."
