Life returns to normal as Covid-19 vaccinations rise globally. But it’s not the world we knew before the outbreak. The long-term character of this global crisis has affected customer needs and daily habits and hence the trends are bound to change. Let’s look at the top 10 technology and business trends for the coming year.
Life Science Technology Growth
The life science industry comprises pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental sciences, biomedicine, nutraceuticals, neuroscience, cell biology, and biophysics. Because of increased investments in mRNA vaccine technology and high-performance Covid-19 testing, 2021 has pushed considerable advancement in bioscience technologies.
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have also created mRNA-based vaccines. Recent Covid medication innovations by Merck have likewise pushed the life science industry forward swiftly.
Looking ahead, we can expect significant progress in advanced research, robotics, artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools, cloud computing, drug testing speed, genetic data integration, and gene technology. At the same time, personalized medicine can emerge from advances in genetics.
5G-6G and Satellite Internet Usage Expansion
As remote work becomes more common, internet reliability becomes critical. Internet of Things (IoT) integration into our lives will continue to drive research and the internet economy forward.
According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index estimate update for 2018, there will be 1.4 billion more people using the internet by 2022, compared with 3.4 billion users in 2017. This translates to approximately 60 percent of the global population, assuming a population of eight billion by 2022. By then, internet users will have used 4.8 zettabytes of data per year, 11 times the amount generated in 2012.
While 5G is still in its infancy, 6G will be the focus in 2022. China began 6G research back in 2018. At the end of 2020, they launched a terahertz satellite. Huawei and ZTE were engaged. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a higher frequency spectrum for experimental use in 2018. A Next G Alliance was launched in 2020, with corporations on board including Apple, AT&T, and Google. Korea, Japan, and other European countries have started looking into 6G seriously, and we anticipate seeing more announcements in 2022.
Widespread Adoption of HPC
Given the recent expansion of big data-based research and analysis and cloud-based computing, we can expect high-performance computing utilization to surge in 2022. Extensive use of high-performance computing is expected in fields ranging from drug development to cancer research to space exploration.
Google, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alibaba have all invested heavily in quantum computing. Start-ups like Rigetti Computing and D-Wave Systems have outperformed the industry in terms of technology and growth.
Growth in AI and Big Data Analytics
A.I. has become a fundamental part of our life. From better personalization, ranking search results, recommending products, understanding and controlling devices, to building better environmental models, to automating industry, we see AI everywhere in 2022.
Organizations are utilizing predictive analytics to foresee future trends. The global predictive analytics market is predicted to reach $22.1 billion by the end of 2026, according to a Facts & Factors analysis.
Internet Security and Privacy Dominate
As the world grows more digital, we’re seeing a growing number of personal and organizational cyberattacks around the world. Businesses have become more vulnerable to harmful attacks due to increased remote work due to the pandemic.
In 2022, I think we might see cyberattacks across industries, and we will see the industry implement a number of counteractive measures. Defending against cyberattacks requires training employees to recognize and avoid network attacks, therefore protecting the company’s image.
Using A.I. will make creating robust cybersecurity protocols easier, cheaper, and more effective.
The Metaverse in 2022
The metaverse is a digital world combining social networking, online gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies to allow virtual user engagement. The metaverse includes everything on the internet, including AR. Virtual space of the future defines the metaverse, offering access to all sorts of leisure and initiatives, including the ability to work.
We expect a free, immersive metaverse. Involved will be digital entertainment, social connection, and behavior modification on a large scale. It will establish a complete ecosystem for developers, apps, ads, and other digital advances. The metaverse will facilitate consumption and frictionless service access.
In today’s metaverse, few companies have a stake. They include ByteDance, Tencent, Facebook, Spotify, Zoom, Amazon (Twitch), Alibaba, Roblox, Bilibili, Snapchat, Kuaishou, and Huawei. Apple’s wearables include AR glasses that will soon be available. Microsoft, with Microsoft Teams and gaming,maybee the world’s most metaverse-advanced WeChat’s payment and service access capabilities are the first metaverse super apps.
NFT Platforms Boom
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital object: computer code and data that indicates ownership of something. The property may be virtual, such as digital real estate or video game equipment. It could be a piece of real estate, a picture, or a concert ticket. An NFT can also be hybrid, such as the right to decide who can live in a cooperative. All of these items are unique and can be transferred to the NFT.
In 2022, we can expect to see NFTs in movies, TV series, novels, and more. NFTs are gaining popularity in the digital economy because they allow people to own a piece of art or a character that represents something larger than themselves. Online markets like game economies, virtual real estate, and even social media platforms like Facebook make up the digital economy.
Robotics Will Gain Popularity
In 2022, we expect to see more robotics in everyday life. We will see increased robotics-based automation in the health care, agriculture, automotive, warehousing, and supply chain management industries.
The usage of robotics process automation (RPA) helps automate operations that are performed consistently. IT leaders are using RPA to free workers from mundane tasks and allow them to focus on more rewarding work. Finally, tiny sensors with limited processing power are becoming more common. These nano-machines may initially find usage in nanomedicine. Biological devices can detect and destroy cancer cells and administer medications.
Increasing Need for Renewable Energy Technology
Climate change and dramatic news headlines are driving the significant rise in sustainable energy usage. During the pandemic, this has been the only energy industry that has increased. As per International Energy Agency (IEA), 40 percent more green energy was created and used in 2020; the agency forecasts continued growth in 2022. The decreasing cost of renewable energy also ensures mass adoption. We expect significant progress in 2022 in new energy technologies like nuclear fusion, biofuel, and liquid hydrogen.
Blockchain Technology Ruled
Blockchain, a new breed of distributed ledger, allows enterprises to trace transactions and do business with unknown people without financial institutions’ help. This new capability reduces business conflicts while increasing transparency, security, immutability, and decentralization.
Blockchain technology has been widely adopted and continues to disrupt industries ranging from gaming to finance. According to the International Data Corporation, corporations would spend approximately $6.6 billion on blockchain solutions in 2021, a 50 percent increase from the previous year. This number is predicted to climb beyond $15 billion in 2024. Blockchain will be more important in 2022 as NFTs and the metaverse grow.
Ahead
There’s little question that 2022 will see fast growth in these and other technologies, as the globe emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic. I see a huge opportunity for smart startups, corporations, and investors to profit from these new business and technology trends. Let’s hope that the subsequent innovation makes the world better for people and businesses.