Global Robot Operating System(ROS) Market
The Global Robot Operating System (ROS) Market is analyzed in this report across robot type, ROS version, applications, end use industry, and region, highlighting major trends and growth forecasts for each segment.
Introduction:
The Robot Operating System (ROS) has emerged as a cornerstone in the evolution of robotic software architecture, fundamentally reshaping how robotic applications are developed and deployed across a range of industries. Within the robotics ecosystem, ROS enables seamless modularity, scalability, and interoperability between disparate hardware and software systems. Its open source foundation has catalyzed widespread adoption across applications such as autonomous navigation, robotic manipulation, perception systems, and simulation environments. By providing standardized libraries and tools, ROS significantly shortens development cycles and reduces associated costs driving innovation in sectors including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, agriculture, and defense.
The global ROS market is experiencing robust expansion and is projected to reach USD 25.6 billion by 2030. This growth is being driven by rising demand for adaptable automation solutions, the surge in collaborative and service robotics, and the increasing complexity of robotic systems. The expanding adoption of ROS 2, alongside growing academic and industrial partnerships and escalating interest in autonomous technologies, continues to accelerate market momentum. Valued at approximately USD 4.3 billion in 2024, the market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% over the forecast period.
Market Dynamics:
The Robot Operating System (ROS) market is undergoing accelerated growth, driven by a range of dynamic factors influencing its development and adoption across diverse sectors. Key contributors to this expansion include the rising demand for adaptable, modular robotics platforms; increasing automation in manufacturing and logistics; and continuous advancements in open source robotics middleware. ROS is central to simplifying robotic software development by offering standardized libraries, tools, and APIs that enable seamless integration across sensors, actuators, and AI components. As autonomous systems become critical in industries such as healthcare, agriculture, and defense, the adoption of ROS based solutions is intensifying supporting real time control, perception, and navigation capabilities.
Significant growth opportunities are emerging across the global ROS landscape. High potential areas include the widespread adoption of collaborative robots (cobots), the growing deployment of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in industrial and logistics environments, and the increasing use of ROS in academic and research institutions. Industry players are leveraging ROS to advance capabilities in motion planning, real time SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), and remote fleet management. The availability of affordable hardware, combined with the rising uptake of ROS 2 with its improved security, real time support, and industrial grade performance is expanding the commercial potential of ROS across new and evolving verticals.
Several transformative trends are shaping the next phase of the ROS market. These include deeper integration with AI and machine learning, the adoption of simulation platforms such as Gazebo and Isaac Sim for digital twin development, and the rise of cloud robotics ecosystems that enable remote operation and continuous software updates. There is also growing momentum around sector specific ROS distributions and toolsets designed for precision agriculture, surgical robotics, and autonomous vehicles. Notably, Canonical’s enhanced support for Ubuntu 24.04 and real time capabilities introduced at ROSCon 2025 are streamlining ROS deployment across embedded and industrial environments. In parallel, ABB Ltd’s integration of ROS within its ABB Ability Robot Studio is bridging the gap between proprietary and open source systems accelerating prototyping and deployment in manufacturing. The growing traction of ROS Industrial is also reinforcing interoperability standards within factory automation, encouraging deeper collaboration among OEMs, system integrators, and software developers to advance the rollout of next generation robotics solutions.
Segment Highlights and Performance Overview:
| Category | Leading segment | Description | ||
| By Robot Type | Articulated robots | Articulated robots represent the largest share within the robot type segment, accounting for approximately 30% to 33% of the ROS market. Their market leadership is driven by their exceptional flexibility, precision, and multi axis movement capabilities, making them particularly well suited for intricate operations in automotive and electronics manufacturing. The integration of ROS enhances these systems with advanced motion control, real time kinematics, and sensor fusion, enabling high performance applications such as assembly, welding, and painting. Additionally, the rising deployment of collaborative articulated arms in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and research institutions is further amplifying their market traction. | ||
| By ROS Version |
| ROS 1 currently commands the largest share in the ROS version segment, holding over 70% of the market. Its established ecosystem, broad community backing, and mature suite of development tools continue to make it the preferred framework for both researchers and developers. While ROS 2 is gaining traction, ROS 1 remains prevalent across academic institutions and industrial deployments, largely due to its compatibility with an extensive library of existing packages and drivers. Ongoing support and efforts to maintain backward compatibility are reinforcing its position particularly in non mission critical applications where stability and legacy integration remain top priorities. | ||
| By Applications | Pick & Place | Pick & Place applications account for the largest share within the application segment, fueled by their broad implementation across manufacturing, logistics, and electronics assembly. This use case represents a significant portion of ROS deployments, particularly in SCARA and articulated robotic systems. ROS streamlines the development of Pick & Place operations by offering pre configured packages for motion planning, object recognition, and force control. Rising demand for warehouse automation and precision handling of small components especially in e-commerce fulfillment environments is further accelerating the adoption of ROS driven Pick & Place solutions. | ||
| By End Use Industry | Electrical & Electronics | The electrical and electronics industry leads the end use segment, accounting for approximately 30% to 33% of the ROS market. This dominance is driven by the sector’s reliance on high volume, precision intensive processes such as PCB assembly, component inspection, and automated testing all of which are well suited to ROS enabled robotic systems. The demand for flexible automation capable of handling small, intricate components and adapting to frequent product design changes positions ROS as a preferred framework for rapid deployment and real time responsiveness. Additionally, integration with vision systems and AI powered inspection tools is further boosting operational efficiency in this sector. |
Geographical Analysis:
The global Robot Operating System (ROS) market is examined across key regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South & Central America, and the Middle East & Africa.
North America holds the largest share of the global Robot Operating System (ROS) market, accounting for approximately 33% to 35%. This leadership is underpinned by a robust robotics infrastructure, strong presence of advanced research institutions, and early adoption of automation across key sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and defense. The region also benefits from the presence of major ROS contributors like Open Robotics and leading academic entities that actively support ongoing development, further solidifying its dominance.
Additionally, the Asia Pacific region is projected to experience the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR), estimated at approximately 14.4%. This growth is fueled by rapid industrialization, government driven automation initiatives, and increasing demand for intelligent robotic systems in markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea. Expanding investment in smart manufacturing and autonomous technologies is accelerating the uptake of ROS powered platforms across a broad range of industries in the region.
Competition Landscape:
The competitive landscape of the global Robot Operating System (ROS) market is shaped by a dynamic mix of robotics hardware manufacturers, open source software developers, and emerging automation startups. Leading players are driving competition through continuous innovation, accelerated adoption of ROS 2, and strategic alliances aimed at enhancing interoperability, scalability, and real time performance across a wide range of industrial use cases.
Prominent companies profiled in this report include Open Robotics, Canonical, ABB Ltd, FANUC, KUKA AG, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Denso, Omron Corporation, Universal Robots A/S, Microsoft, and iRobot Corporation.
Key Developments:
- On May 23, 2024, Open Robotics released ROS 2 “Jazzy Jalisco,” a Long Term Support (LTS) version slated for maintenance through May 2029. This release offers greater platform stability and expanded capabilities, positioning ROS 2 as a more viable option for industrial and commercial scale adoption. The extended support timeline through 2029 enhances developer confidence and is expected to accelerate enterprise level implementation.
- In June 2025, during ROSCon, Canonical unveiled a robotics observability stack for Kubernetes featuring Grafana, Prometheus, and Foxglove along with upgrades to Ubuntu 24.04’s robotics support and deeper integration with NVIDIA Jetson and Isaac ROS. These developments significantly strengthen ROS’s value proposition for enterprise users by enabling robust performance monitoring and observability within Kubernetes environments. The improved support for Ubuntu 24.04, combined with tighter NVIDIA Jetson/Isaac ROS integration, is driving faster adoption of AI powered robotics solutions, particularly in edge and embedded system applications.
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