Juniper Research highlights 10 technologies set to influence security, compute, energy and infrastructure.
Executive Recap: What Matters for IoT Stakeholders in 2026
Juniper Research’s annual ranking identifies ten technology domains expected to influence enterprise investment in the coming year. While the list spans security, compute, robotics, energy and cloud infrastructure, many trends converge around a central pressure point: how to scale next-generation digital systems without increasing operational risk or complexity.
Quick commentary on each trend:
- Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) – Momentum is shifting from theory to hybrid deployment, meaning IoT vendors must prepare for long-term cryptographic transitions.
- Neuromorphic computing – Purpose-built chipsets could alleviate AI bottlenecks, particularly at the edge where power constraints are acute.
- Physical AI / humanoid robotics – Improvements in dexterity and autonomy will add relevance for industrial and logistics use cases.
- Multi-agent AI systems – Domain-specific agents will increasingly underpin automation stacks, including in connected operations.
- Wireless EV charging – Infrastructure acceleration opens new opportunities for smart mobility ecosystems integrating IoT telemetry.
- Counter-drone technologies – As threats escalate, industries with large perimeters will invest in detection and mitigation systems.
- Microfluidic cooling – A response to thermal density challenges across data centres powering IoT analytics.
- Multi-cloud resilience models – The outages of 2025 act as a reality check, pushing enterprises toward diversified cloud architectures.
- Small modular reactors (SMRs) – Regulatory progress may reshape long-term energy planning for connected industries.
- Open-source smart buildings – Interoperability strengthens as energy optimisation becomes a global priority.
Together, these themes reflect a shift toward maturity, scalability and resilience—core concerns for organisations deploying IoT at industrial or national infrastructure levels.
Juniper Research: Frontier Technologies Move Toward Deployment
Juniper Research has released its Top 10 Emerging Tech Trends for 2026, identifying the technologies expected to have material impact on enterprise strategy over the next year. Unlike past editions that highlighted early-stage concepts, the 2026 report focuses on domains with credible paths to commercial deployment.
According to the analysts, frontier technologies such as post-quantum cryptography, neuromorphic computing and physical AI are rapidly moving from research labs into operational planning. For enterprises—particularly those with global IoT footprints—this transition introduces both urgency and uncertainty.
The report emphasises that organisations are no longer experimenting in isolation. Instead, industry leaders are evaluating how to integrate these technologies at scale, how to secure them, and how to align them with compliance obligations across regions.
The 2026 Trend List: What Juniper Predicts Will Matter Most
1. Post-quantum Cryptography: Standardisation to Drive Hybrid Deployment Models
With NIST’s advancing PQC standards, enterprises are expected to adopt hybrid cryptographic approaches that combine classical and quantum-resistant algorithms. For IoT devices with long lifecycles, this represents a foundational shift in security planning.
2. Neuromorphic Computing: Commercial Chipsets to Launch in 2026
Neuromorphic architectures promise to mitigate performance and power bottlenecks in edge AI. Juniper expects the first commercially viable chipsets next year, positioning the technology as a potential accelerator for real-time industrial inference workloads.
3. Physical AI: Humanoid Robotics Enter a New Phase
Over the next three years, substantial advances are anticipated in humanoid robotics—especially in mobility, manipulation and autonomy. These improvements could expand adoption in manufacturing, warehousing and field operations.
4. Multi-agent Systems: Domain-specific Agents Gain Traction
Enterprises will increasingly rely on ecosystems of specialised AI agents to automate processes across verticals. For IoT, this could strengthen anomaly detection, orchestration and predictive maintenance workflows.
5. Wireless EV Charging: Infrastructure Rollouts Enable Mass Adoption
Significant investments in wireless charging networks are expected to accelerate EV adoption rates. IoT will play a critical role in metering, billing, diagnostics and infrastructure management.
6. Counter-drone Technology: Rising Threats Require New Approaches
Industries facing airspace vulnerabilities—such as logistics hubs and energy facilities—are turning to more advanced detection, classification and mitigation technologies to counter evolving drone threats.
7. Microfluidics: A Next-generation Cooling System for AI Chips
As AI workloads grow, thermal constraints become a limiting factor. Microfluidic cooling is gaining traction as an efficient way to manage heat in dense silicon packages, particularly within data centres powering IoT analytics.
8. Multi-cloud Models: Resilience After 2025 Outages
After major outages in 2025, enterprises are rethinking single-vendor cloud dependencies. Multi-cloud strategies are expected to become mainstream, balancing redundancy, portability and compliance.
9. Small Modular Reactors: Regulatory Progress Unlocks Energy Potential
SMRs could reshape long-term energy strategies as more countries advance regulatory approvals. For energy-intensive IoT verticals—such as smart manufacturing or edge data centres—the implications could be profound.
10. Open-source Smart Buildings: Interoperability Drives Growth
Growing energy demand and sustainability requirements are pushing building operators toward open, interoperable platforms. Juniper expects open-source frameworks to play a central role in next-generation building automation.
Why 2026 Marks a Turning Point
“Across security, compute, energy, and infrastructure, organisations are being forced to make real deployment decisions on technologies that were theoretical only a few years ago. The challenge facing enterprises in 2026 will be how quickly they can adopt these technologies without increasing risk or complexity, and whether they have the organisational readiness to do so at scale.”
— Molly Gatford, Senior Research Analyst at Juniper Research
The whitepaper ranks each trend by expected impact and provides detailed analysis explaining what will happen, why it is expected, and why 2026 is pivotal for adoption. For IT and operations teams shaping IoT roadmaps, the report serves as a condensed guide to technology domains that deserve immediate strategic attention.
Outlook
Juniper’s findings underscore a broader industry truth: the next phase of digital transformation will be defined less by novelty and more by operational viability. Technologies once considered speculative are maturing faster than organisations can absorb them, forcing enterprises to balance innovation with resilience.
For IoT decision-makers, the convergence of breakthroughs in compute, automation, energy systems and cybersecurity offers unprecedented opportunity—provided they can navigate the complexity ahead.
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