As the year winds down, here’s a look back at some of the leading stories covering the biggest highlights of test and measurement in 2025
2025 was a momentous year. Not in the same way every year feels in retrospect — but in a very real sense. It hit many milestones, saw many newsworthy developments — and might I say, setbacks — and according to some, will be looked back as a major turning point.
Although its not fully possible to wrap up the affairs of an entire calendar year in a single post, I’ve tried to distill down what matters, and pull together the leading stories that defined T&M this year.
A moonshot, literally: An orbital data center prototype designed by Axiom Space and Red Hat reaches the International Space Station (ISS) to test the waters for space-based computing. The “free-flyer nodes” are meant to serve as a testbed for launching future, full-scale Axiom Orbital Data Centers (ODC) to support government and commercial use cases.
Survivability of chips in space: Researchers at the University of Florida, in collaboration with NASA, MIT, Vanguard Automation, AIM Photonics, and the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute of Germany, launch a set of photonic AI chips into space. The mission seeks to study how materials and devices behave when exposed to space radiation in the low Earth orbit environment — a step that pushes photonic semiconductors closer to being part of satellite communication systems, autonomous spacecrafts, and sensing technologies of the future.
Diversification in downturn: Squeezed by the telco investment slump, many T&M suppliers are adjusting their focus on lucrative end markets like AI data center, NTN/satellite, and defense modernization. Keysight caps off the year with good numbers despite tariffs and macroeconomic tensions, pointing to AI-fueled growth and forays into high-growth sectors.
5G SA push in Europe: Spirent is the newest member to join Vodafone’s 5G SA bandwagon. The network test and assurance company is helping Vodafone accelerate rollout of software and services on the carrier’s 5G voice core infrastructure in Europe with a fully-automated software testing platform which, down the road, will be available to other carriers as well.
PoC for multi-orbit mobility: Keysight, KT Sat completes the first GEO-to-LEO handover in an experiment that shows potential for ubiquitous connectivity and Internet for All.
Nvidia’s $2B stake in Synopsys: The bold move which is one of the many Nvidia made this year, spurs worries about the world’s most valuable company’s tightening grip on the semiconductor industry — and its ability to influence independent industry bodies like the Ultra Accelerator Link (UALink) Consortium that develop competing open-source solutions. On a positive note, the collaboration is expected to strengthen simulation and digital twin technologies — now a must-have in many sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, aerospace, and energy — in 2026.
Wi-Fi 8 arrives early, testing follows: Moving early, Broadcom brought a set of Wi-Fi 8 solutions to the market — and testing partner Rohde & Schwarz joins in to test and validate them, making way for an early arrival of Wi-Fi 8.
6G R&D in full swing: Nokia, in its mission to build the perfect radio receiver for 6G that evades the inherent signal distortion and coverage issues of 6G bands, joins hands with test giant R&S. The two unveiled an AI-powered receiver earlier at the Brooklyn 6G Summit that seeks to expedite 6G deployment.
Keysight, Viavi complete acquisition of Spirent: The biggest high-profile M&A story of this year is Keysight and Viavi’s two-way acquisition of Spirent. The companies wrap up the long-drawn acquisition this year, adding Spirent’s assets into their respective businesses. While Keysight gets the lion’s share, Viavi ends up snagging the most contested lines: high-speed Ethernet testing, network security testing, and RF channel emulation.
Synopsys completes Ansys acquisition: Another long M&A saga comes to an end this year. After 18 months of negotiations and regulatory scrutiny, the EDA company acquires Ansys for $35 billion — a move that opens the door for a deeper integration of electronics and physics, and unlocks simulation-enhanced designing in semiconductor development.
Network observability trends: Several key trends shape out in network observability — key among those is of course AI. Many T&M companies are seen dabbling in AI in an effort to enhance network monitoring techniques like packet capture and service assurance.
Keysight delivers first commercial quantum control system: Capable of controlling over a thousand superconducting qubits, the system is the first of its kind. It currently serves as an evaluation testbed at the Global Research and Development Center for Business by Quantum-AI Technology (G-QuAT).
FCC moves on testing labs with Chinese ties: In a bid to de-risk the supply chain, the Federal Communications Commission cracks down on “bad labs” with tie to China that tested and certified devices for use in the U.S.
NTN meets a testing hurdle: The broader rollout and success of non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity hinges on how well the frequencies and scenarios are emulated in the lab — a demand forcing many companies to up their testing game.
The rise of digital twins: The industry is moving fast to adopt digital twins, a technology that takes simple data models of yesterday to real-time, futuristic replicas of physical assets, systems, and processes, unlocking the magic of predictive maintenance. At the forefront of that movement are T&M giants like Viavi and Spirent.
With that, it’s a wrap for 2025. Happy holidays, and I’ll see in the new year.
