Compared to a few years ago, the artificial intelligence (AI) market is starting to solidify around real-world applications with the pace of change being faster than it has ever been before, as startups and technology providers rush to create platforms and targeted niche solutions for solving specific enterprise problems. According to a new report from Tractica, the industry is churning and evolving quickly as merger and acquisition (M&A) activities abound, and it is homing in on areas of focus. Tractica's research has identified more than 1,000 companies that are driving innovation in the AI market, some of whom are well-known technology heavyweights but many of which are emerging solution providers that are focused on tailored AI applications to serve tactical business needs in specific industries. "The AI ecosystem is a tangled web of traditional technology providers that have adapted to shifting trends and new market entrants focused on using AI for solving problems in niche areas, in addition to well-established internet-era hyperscaler companies that are spearheading the push toward AI-first organizations," says research analyst Sherril Hanson. The key categories of companies in Tractica's mapping of the AI market ecosystem are as follows: Tractica's report, "Artificial Intelligence Market Ecosystem", provides an in-depth examination of the market ecosystem for AI.

Compared to a few years ago, the AI market is starting to solidify around real-world applications with the pace of change being faster than it has ever been before, as startups and technology providers rush to create platforms and targeted niche solutions for solving specific enterprise problems. The industry is churning and evolving quickly as merger and acquisition (M&A) activities abound, and it is homing in on areas of focus. Tractica's 2018 AI ecosystem report covers a wide range of companies in the growing AI space, drawing on Tractica's internal knowledge base of the competitive environment, as well as external sources. Tractica has identified and categorized a total of 1,000 AI companies and provided more in-depth profiles of 200 key industry players that our analysis has revealed to be the most notable and representative examples of AI technology providers, solution providers, platforms, service providers, hardware vendors, and other players who each in their own way are helping to propel the sector forward. These companies span the globe and cover a spectrum of technologies and end-market segments.