DigiKey’s Digital Momentum: Inside a Year of Measured Growth, Market Shifts & AI-Driven Strategy

In this in-depth conversation, Paige Hookway sits down with Tim Carroll, Global Head of Digital Business at DigiKey, to break down how 2025 unfolded for one of the world’s most influential electronics distributors—and what’s coming next.

Carroll discusses DigiKey’s steady but dynamic growth trajectory, including a second half that surged nearly 30% year-over-year in digital business, stabilization in global inventory patterns, and rising demand from markets such as AI infrastructure, industrial automation, EVs, and medical technology.

He also shares insights into DigiKey’s approach to AI-enhanced pricing, inventory planning, and customer experience, the company’s march toward 1 million annual unique customers, and how geopolitical pressures—like tariffs—are reshaping procurement behavior worldwide.

Looking ahead to 2026, Carroll outlines DigiKey’s target of 10–12% growth, driven by a “predictive, frictionless” digital strategy that uses automation to surface the right components, simplify sourcing, and keep engineers focused on building what’s next.

A candid, fast-paced look at how a global distributor is navigating volatility, scaling digital transformation, and empowering engineers everywhere to keep designing—with less friction and more confidence.