software becomes biggest bottleneck for robotics teams

QNX has published a study finding that software has become the biggest bottleneck for robotics developers. The survey covered 1,000 developers worldwide.

The research suggests a shift in where robotics teams see their main constraints. Some 27% of respondents identified software architecture and integration as their biggest performance bottleneck, compared with 16% who cited hardware.

The finding comes as robotics systems move beyond controlled industrial settings and into workplaces and other environments where they operate near people. According to the study, 83% of developers already deploy systems alongside humans, while 67% of those not yet doing so expect to reach that stage within the next three to five years.

As those deployments expand, developers reported a growing need for predictable system behaviour. The survey found that 95% consider deterministic, real-time execution important to the systems they build.

Even so, many teams still rely on software platforms not designed for real-time or safety-critical work. The findings show that 91% of respondents run such workloads at least in part on general-purpose operating systems, and 86% of those users said they were open to changing their operating system.

Software pressure

The results suggest a mismatch between technical requirements and the software foundations many robotics projects use today. Respondents also expect software to play a bigger role over the next three to five years, with 85% saying its importance will increase.

That view is reflected in investment priorities. Developers said their biggest expected areas of spending are AI-driven decision-making and cybersecurity, both cited by 51% of respondents, followed by operating systems and real-time control software at 37%.

Regulation and compliance were another source of pressure. Two-thirds of those surveyed said certification processes had delayed projects, with the figure rising to about 70% in the UK and Germany and falling to 56% in China.

Cybersecurity and functional safety were among the toughest compliance areas. Some 51% of respondents pointed to cybersecurity standards as a major challenge, while 49% cited functional safety standards.

AI ambition

The study also highlighted strong industry interest in what it described as Physical AI, or robots that can perceive, reason and act autonomously in the physical world. Some 89% of respondents said such systems would be critical to their organisation's strategy over the next three to five years.

According to the report, China led the surveyed markets on that measure. Yet confidence in readiness appeared to lag strategic ambition, with only 29% saying they felt very confident in their ability to make safe, predictable decisions in real-world environments.

That gap between ambition and operational readiness is likely to matter as robotics developers try to scale systems that must meet safety, security and certification requirements at the same time. The findings indicate that teams increasingly treat software design and operating system choices as central issues rather than secondary engineering decisions.

Methodology published with the study said the poll covered software developers and engineers working in robotics across selected sectors. The survey was commissioned by QNX and conducted online by OnePoll.

Jim Hirsch, Global Vice President of Sales, General Embedded Markets at QNX, said the data showed development teams were encountering the limits of existing system designs as robots became more autonomous and more exposed to real-world risks.

"Robotics teams are clearly pushing toward more intelligent, autonomous systems, but the data shows they are also running up against the very real limits of architectures that were never designed for this level of complexity or accountability," Hirsch said.

He said developers consistently raised four core challenges in the research.

"Developers consistently cite four core challenges: integration complexity, certification delays, functional safety risks in human-machine interaction, and ensuring predictable behavior when it matters most. The good news is that these are all solvable problems and by focusing on stronger software foundations, developers can set the stage for faster innovation and a new generation of safe, reliable, and highly autonomous robots," Hirsch said.