This is according to the latest research from Marketsandmarkets, whose researchers suggest that it is because more and more organisations are trying to secure workloads across multi-cloud, SaaS, endpoints, and identities, meaning that conventional SOC architectures are struggling to provide unified visibility. AI SOC platforms consolidate telemetry from diverse environments, correlate threats across multiple attack surfaces, and deliver contextual investigations, enabling organisations to improve detection accuracy while simplifying security operations at enterprise scale.

Priority for real-time monitoring

The threat detection & monitoring segment is expected to hold the largest share of the AI SOC market due to the growing need for continuous visibility across increasingly distributed enterprise environments and the rapid evolution of AI-powered cyber threats. Organisations are prioritising real-time monitoring to identify anomalous user behaviour, insider threats, credential misuse, lateral movement, and sophisticated multi-stage attacks before they escalate into major security incidents. AI-powered behavioural analytics, continuous risk assessment, and intelligent threat correlation significantly improve detection accuracy while reducing alert fatigue and enabling faster security decision-making. The increasing adoption of Zero Trust architectures and continuous monitoring strategies is further accelerating demand for advanced threat detection and monitoring capabilities across enterprise security operations.

Cyber attackers targeting SMEs

The SMEs segment is expected to register the highest CAGR in the AI SOC market during the forecast period due to the increasing frequency of cyberattacks targeting small and medium-sized businesses and the growing need for cost-effective, enterprise-grade cyber security. Limited in-house security expertise, budget constraints, and expanding cloud and hybrid IT environments are driving SMEs to adopt AI-native SIEM, XDR, SOAR, AI SOC platforms, and agentic AI solutions, alongside managed security services. These AI-powered platforms enable automated threat detection, investigation, and response without significant infrastructure investments. Additionally, the growing availability of cloud-delivered, subscription-based security offerings and increasing government support for SME digital transformation are accelerating AI SOC adoption, making advanced security operations more accessible and scalable for smaller organisations.

Leading vendors drive the US market

North America is expected to account for the largest share of the AI SOC market during the forecast period, driven by the presence of leading cybersecurity vendors, hyperscale cloud providers, and a highly mature enterprise security ecosystem. The region is witnessing rapid adoption of AI-native security operations across BFSI, healthcare, government, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure as organisations modernise SOCs to counter increasingly sophisticated AI-powered cyber threats. Major technology providers, including Microsoft, Google, Cisco, Crowdstrike, Palo Alto Networks, Lumu Technologies, and Rapid7, continue to expand AI-driven SIEM, XDR, agentic AI, and autonomous SOC capabilities, accelerating enterprise adoption. In addition, US government initiatives, including the Executive Order on Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security and the Gold Eagle initiative, are fostering secure AI adoption and strengthening AI-enabled cyber defence through public-private collaboration. These developments, coupled with sustained investments in AI innovation, cloud security, and Zero Trust architectures, are enabling organisations to build more resilient, intelligence-driven security operations and positioning North America at the forefront of next-generation cyber defence transformation.

Key players

Microsoft, Cisco, Crowdstrike, Palo Alto, Google, Sophos, IBM, Arctic Wolf, Legion Security, Riversafe, Cybernx, D3 Security, Simbian, Esentire, Huntress and Fortinet are some of the key players and other major players mentioned within the research within the AI SOC market report from Marketsandmarkets.