AI Insights Survey: EMEA engineers embrace AI as adoption accelerates across regions
Engineers across EMEA are increasingly embedding artificial intelligence (AI) into products being shipped to customers, as AI moves decisively from experimentation into real-world production, according to the latest Avnet Insights 2026 Survey.
The annual global survey gathered responses from approximately 1,200 engineers worldwide, providing a representative view of how AI adoption is evolving across different markets and industrial environments. Across the EMEA region, the findings reflect a diverse landscape, where AI adoption is accelerating at different speeds depending on industrial focus, regulatory environments and production maturity.
Globally, more than half of engineers surveyed (56%) say they are currently shipping products with AI incorporated into their designs, representing a 33% year-on-year increase. Adoption levels vary by region, reflecting different industrial priorities, regulatory environments and production lifecycles. For example, 41% of respondents in Germany report shipping AI-enabled products today, suggesting a more selective, industry-led approach, while other regions are accelerating at different rates.
Across EMEA, engineers remain cautiously optimistic about market conditions, supported by faster production schedules and continued customer demand. At the same time, the survey highlights a consistent set of challenges organisations are working through as AI becomes more deeply embedded in product design and development.
Data quality (46%), integration with existing tools (38%) and cost (37%) are cited as the main design challenges when integrating AI into products. From an operational perspective, continuous learning and maintenance (54%) and sustainability (43%) are top considerations as AI-enabled systems scale into full production.
The survey also points to growing momentum behind multi-modal AI, with engineers increasingly combining Edge AI and machine learning (ML) to deliver greater functionality, efficiency and value. Nearly all respondents (96%) expect AI-powered tools to significantly influence product design and development over the next three to five years.
“AI has clearly moved beyond proof-of-concept for engineers across EMEA regions,” said Dan Ford, VP Sales and Services EMEA, Farnell. “What we’re seeing now is a focus on scaling AI responsibly — balancing innovation with data integrity, system integration and sustainability as AI-enabled products move into production.”
The findings highlight how AI is becoming a standard part of product development across EMEA, with regional differences shaping how the technology is adopted. These are expected to resonate strongly with engineers and manufacturers across EMEA as AI, automation and sustainability remain key priorities in 2026.
The full Avnet Insights 2026 AI whitepaper is available to download via Farnell’s AI Hub, where engineers can also discover how to accelerate their projects and access solutions, platforms, and resources to support AI adoption in design and production.
