Frost & Sullivan: The Top 8 Growth Opportunities Shaping the Global Lighting Industry in 2026

AI-driven intelligent lighting, precision horticulture solutions, and service-based business models are redefining the next generation of connected lighting ecosystems, as Frost & Sullivan prepares to engage industry leaders at Light + Building 2026

Frost & Sullivan's latest analysis, Top 8 Growth Opportunities in Lighting, reveals that the global lighting industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) integration, sustainability imperatives, and new service-led business models.

The findings will be shared and discussed with industry leaders at Messe Frankfurt GmbH's Light + Building, where Frost & Sullivan is serving as a strategic Knowledge Partner.

According to the study, intelligent and adaptive lighting remains the highest-ranked growth opportunity for 2026, reflecting rising demand for human-centric lighting systems that improve occupant well-being, productivity, and energy efficiency. The convergence of AI, IoT, and advanced sensors enables lighting systems to dynamically adapt to occupancy patterns, environmental conditions, and circadian rhythms.

"Lighting is no longer just about illumination - it has become a strategic platform for energy optimisation, data generation, connectivity, and occupant experience," said Melvin Leong, Senior Director in Frost & Sullivan's Energy & Buildings Practice. "Organisations that embrace intelligent controls, interoperability, and circular design principles will be best positioned to capture long-term growth."

Key Growth Highlights for 2026

• Precision lighting and control in horticulture continues to rank second, fuelled by the rapid expansion of controlled-environment agriculture, vertical farming, and year-round food production. Sensor-driven spectral tuning and AI-based optimization are helping growers improve yields while reducing energy consumption.

• Wireless lighting and controls rise in importance as organisations prioritize flexible, retrofit-friendly solutions that integrate seamlessly with building management systems. Technologies such as Bluetooth Mesh, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi are accelerating adoption across commercial, industrial, and urban infrastructure.

• Interoperable lighting control protocols are becoming critical to smart building deployment, enabling seamless integration with HVAC, security, and energy management systems while reducing vendor lock-in.

• Enhanced emergency lighting is evolving into intelligent, connected safety infrastructure with real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automated compliance testing, improving reliability and lowering lifecycle costs.

• Circular lighting underscores the industry's shift toward sustainability, with modular, repairable luminaires and recyclable materials extending product lifecycles and supporting global regulatory requirements.

• Lighting-as-a-Service (LaaS) is transforming traditional revenue models by enabling customers to adopt advanced lighting technologies without upfront capital investment, while manufacturers benefit from recurring, outcome-based revenues.

• LiFi-powered lighting systems, a new entrant in the top rankings, highlight the growing role of lighting as a secure, high-speed data communication platform, particularly in environments where radio frequency congestion or data security is a concern.

Frost & Sullivan's experts emphasise that future growth in lighting will depend on manufacturers' ability to move beyond product-centric strategies toward ecosystem-driven innovation, combining intelligent hardware, software, connectivity, and services.

As a strategic Knowledge Partner for Messe Frankfurt GmbH's Light + Building - the world's leading event for lighting and building services technology - Frost & Sullivan will actively engage with manufacturers, solution providers, and ecosystem partners in Frankfurt to discuss the implications of these findings.

Attendees visiting the show from 8–13 March are invited to meet with Frost & Sullivan's experts to explore how these growth opportunities can be translated into actionable strategies for innovation, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

Don't miss our Energy & Building Practice Leader Jonathan Robinson's contribution to Light + Building's special programme, "Building in Connection – Market Insights". Taking place from 14:00 to 16:00 CET on 8th March 2026 at the Exhibitor Stage in Hall 9.0, the session brings together market research, strategic classification, and practical perspectives in a cohesive and forward-looking lecture programme.

Here, connectivity is not simply proposed as an idea, but demonstrated through market data, independent studies, and real-world developments - establishing it as a central design principle for the built environment of tomorrow.