Keysight Technologies and the Innovation Consequences
Keysight Technologies carries the engineering DNA of Hewlett-Packard's original Test & Measurement division. As a pure-play leader in electronic test and measurement, Keysight stands at a critical juncture—balancing operational efficiency with the innovation culture that defined its origins.
Keysight enables electronic systems across the complete lifecycle: design → prototype → test → manufacturing → network/cloud optimization.
| Zone | Focus Area | Keysight Position | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Incremental improvements to RF instruments | Bread-and-butter revenue drivers | 50% |
| Core Adjacent | Expand test tech into new sectors | EV, ADAS, optical | 15% |
| Edge | New software-driven workflows | PathWave, cloud-based design and network emulation | 20% |
| Beyond | Transformational test for new markets | Quantum, 6G, cybersecurity digital twins | 10% |
| Frontier | Speculative long-range bets | Terahertz, novel sensing | 5% |
Key Insight: Core pays the bills; Edge is the bridge; Beyond seeds the future. But the shift from Core → Edge → Beyond is not fast enough.
HP's original philosophy was simple: the people who understand the product best should lead the product.
From the mid-2000s, Agilent/Keysight relocated final assembly, calibration operations, and development support to Penang, Singapore, and China.
This creates a clear inversion:
Keysight still delivers strong products. But the cultural engine that made HP a pioneer has shifted gears—and geography—without recalibrating who leads the future.
A software-defined measurement leader driving the future of 6G, photonics and quantum test
A premium hardware vendor defending legacy margins in a commoditizing market
Instead of adding AI as a feature, fundamentally rethink measurement and test through an AI-first lens
Treat Southeast Asia engineering teams as innovation centers, not operators—give them strategic authority
Rebuild a innovation-first culture and reinvest in frontier labs and high-complexity manufacturing in the US so invention and production reinforce each other
Rediscover the courage to invent: prioritize invention before optimization, engineering mastery before margin
Keysight's evolution tells a larger story: when a company moves from craft to cost, innovation becomes an accounting line—and the future becomes incremental.
The next chapter depends on whether Keysight rediscovers the courage to invent.