Six Technologies Driving the Next Industrial Revolution
Zero100 reveals how software, connectivity, energy, data, compute, and AI will determine which organizations thrive in the next decade.
The role of the COO is on the rise – between 2006 and 2025, we found that appointments increased by 671% – and is pivotal to leading the tech-ops revolution. Yet, in our scan of what’s available for this critical leadership role, we found a gap. This report intends to start closing it and is written specifically for the COO. It examines the sort of leadership required in this next industrial revolution.
Starting by laying the foundation and examining the six critical technologies that underpin this transition, we take the long view of what it takes to win and ensure relevance in the next decade as the rules of the game are being fundamentally rewritten, right in front of us. We examine the dramatic shifts in the macro landscape that are reshaping what it means to win.
Artificial Intelligence
75% of the nearly 200 Zero100 AI Blueprint respondents are, on average, still in pilot phases for AI across the supply chain and two-thirds of operations leaders aren’t satisfied with their AI investment progress. This explains the number one question we get from leaders headed into 2026: How can I drive AI adoption and implementation at scale?
The full report shares COO imperatives in answer to that question, including the need for a broader focus on the ecosystem of technologies that underpin value creation at scale from artificial intelligence with an enterprise strategy that takes a portfolio approach to AI innovation across enterprise productivity, customer (B2B), consumer experience, and end-to-end enterprise orchestration.
Compute
Compute capabilities already deliver competitive advantages in operations. Volkswagen, for instance, built an Industrial Cloud with Amazon Web Services to connect data from 120 factories – targeting a 30% productivity boost, 30% lower factory costs, and €1 billion in supply chain savings. And at the bleeding edge of silicon fabrication, TSMC relies on extreme computing power: its first-generation 2nm chip technology has secured 15 early customers (two-thirds focused on HPC designs), which is a sign that the AI era is pushing even chipmakers to new computational limits. COO imperatives here include building fusion tech-ops teams.
Energy
Energy is not a pure utility cost, it is a strategic asset. COOs must ensure power that is secure, affordable, and reliable to fuel innovation and resilience. As Kevin O’Marah states in a recent Signal, “after all, wasted energy and material usually mean lower margins, so carbon and cost follow the same curve.” Firms that neglect energy transformation expose themselves to severe risks: for example, Repsol sustained a €175 million loss in 2025 when the Iberian blackout disrupted its refineries and chemical operations.
One of three COO imperatives here? Embed carbon intelligence in your energy design, making carbon attribution as core as cost.
Data
Data has become a cornerstone of competitive performance for enterprise-grade agents that require context and data, and it is the foundation that trains any AI model. The most pressing risk, however, is the lack of data readiness; when we asked a group of executives how ready their data was for AI, 89% said they were still very much work in progress.
Part of combating this requires a deliberate data ops strategy that ensures an operating model in support of the continuous lifecycle management of clean, usable date.
Software
Software is no longer a back-office utility, it is a vector of competitive differentiation with the shift to AI-driven composability remapping the frontier. Those who architect modular, self-optimizing systems will scale velocity; those tethered to monolithic systems will be overtaken. At Zero100, we are tracking thousands of solution providers mapped to the jobs-to-be-done on The Loop. The shift from “software as a service” to “service as a software” promises to unlock new levels of precision in customization at much lower costs.
Amongst other imperatives, COOs should forge deep, durable tech partnerships. Know your solution providers’ roadmaps as well as your own. Swapping systems later will take years, not months.
Connectivity
Connectivity can make or break operational resilience and efficiency. Zero100 data suggests that supply chains in the top quartile for “connectivity” see a positive correlation with financial performance. A hyper-connected operation (and ecosystem) can move from signal to response at unprecedented speed, from live digital twins of equipment for predictive maintenance, to autonomous factories where robots and vehicles coordinate in real time.
One COO imperative we share: Treat connectivity like core infrastructure. Build private 5G with 6G-ready modular design now, reducing reconfiguration time and wiring costs by up to 50%.
The Age of Credulity or Opportunity?
AI is arguably the most important technological advancement of the century for operations leaders. During this time, will we surrender to credulity – the readiness to believe without questioning – or will we evolve and elevate our thinking, in service of the collective human experience? Real transformation – one that drives sustainable long-term results – is won at the hand of great leadership and it is the role of the COO to usher in the next industrial revolution with rigor, excellence, and the human experience at the center. Seize the opportunity.
Research
Download Six Technologies Driving the Next Industrial Revolution
AI alone won’t transform your operations — it requires five other technologies working in concert. With a foreword by Jim Rowan, former CEO of Volvo Cars and Dyson, this report reveals how software, connectivity, energy, data, compute, and AI form an interconnected ecosystem determining which organizations thrive in the next decade.