asia pacific companies are balancing ai ambition with roi realities
KPMG's Q2 Asia Pulse finds 80 percent of Asia Pacific companies plan to keep AI a top investment priority over the next 12 months regardless of economic conditions, with 81 percent already reporting meaningful business value from AI—up from 69 percent just three months prior. Despite this momentum, only 5 percent of regional companies have established clear ROI and demonstrated measurable business outcomes, with most still in early planning or scaling phases. Cost pressures remain a significant friction point: 55 percent of ASPAC companies have delayed or scaled back AI agent rollouts because operational costs began outstripping generated value, though concern over total cost of ownership has eased, dropping from 52 percent to 35 percent quarter-over-quarter. Investment appetite remains strong, with 70 percent of ASPAC companies committing more than $50 million to AI over the next 12 months, directed primarily at IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and operations. Skills gaps are a concurrent challenge, with over 40 percent citing them as a major barrier to demonstrating ROI, prompting nearly half of companies to redesign roles and accelerate workforce upskilling. Adoption of agentic AI is accelerating sharply, with the share of companies scaling AI agents nearly doubling from 16 percent to 28 percent in a single quarter.