In a short period of time, Covid-19 has changed the nature of work. Many businesses continued with limited staffs or were forced to furlough or even lay off employees. As companies struggle to maintain their operations with fewer workers, many are turning to automation and RPA. U.K.-based research and analytics firm GlobalData said the growth of RPA will be especially strong in the Asia Pacific region, where new providers in the space will quickly rise.
“A large number of start-ups and niche-offerings providers are incorporating AI, natural language processing (NLP), conversational AI and machine vision to differentiate their RPA offerings, thereby compete against global vendors such as UiPath, Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism,” said Manish Chaurasiya, senior technology analyst at GlobalData. “A significant number of these new entrants are backed by strategic investors, including leading capital investment firms and existing companies.”
Chaurasiya pointed to several venture-backed companies that have emerged in China, India and Singapore to bolster his point.
“Footprint expansion in the region,” he said, “partnerships with enterprises across the sector and no-cost RPA licenses are set to offer a unique opportunity to RPA vendors to make their presence felt in the era of automation and AI in the APAC region.”