Life is returning to normal as Covid-19 vaccinations become more widespread worldwide. However, this is not the world we knew before the pandemic. Because of the long-term nature of this global crisis, customer needs and daily lifestyles have changed. This, in turn, will alter my expectations for the world in 2022 and beyond. Let’s take a look at the top ten technology and business trends that we’re likely to see in the coming year.
Life Science Technologies is gaining traction.
Pharmaceuticals, bioengineering, environmental studies, biomedicine, nutraceuticals, neuroscience, cell biology, and biophysics are all part of the life science industry. 2021 has sparked significant innovation in life science technologies, thanks to rising investments in mRNA vaccine technology and high-performance Covid-19 testing.
mRNA-based vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are examples of this innovation. Merck’s recent Covid drug developments have also accelerated the life science industry’s progress.
Looking ahead, I anticipate strong movement in several life science sectors, including cutting edge research, robotics new tech, artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools, cloud technology, drug testing speed improved performance, genetic data integration, and gene technology use. I also anticipate the advancement of personalised medicine due to advances in genetics technology. For example, the startup 23andMe enables people to access, fully comprehend, and benefit from the human genome.
Expansion of 5G-6G and Satellite-Based Internet Usage in Networking and Interconnectivity
As working remotely is becoming more prevalent, web reliability is more important than ever. The internet of things (IoT) makes the internet a more integral part of our lives, and advancements at all network tiers will continue driving research and advancing the internet economic system.
According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index prediction update for 2018, there will be 1.4 billion more internet users by 2022, up from 3.4 billion in 2017. This equates to nearly 60% of the global population, assuming an eight-billion-person population by 2022. By then, web users will have consumed 4.8 zettabytes of data per year, 11 times the amount of IP traffic generated in 2012 (437 exabytes).
While 5G is still in its infancy, we will see a greater emphasis on 6G in 2022. In 2018, China began 6G research. The country had launched a satellite to test terahertz signal transmission by late 2020. Huawei and ZTE were both presents. In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission opened a higher frequency spectrum for practical use, kicking off 6G research in the United States. In 2020, the Next G Alliance was formed, with Apple, AT&T, and Google as founding members. Korea, Japan, and some European countries have begun to consider 6G seriously, and more announcements are expected in 2022.
High-Performance Computing Has Entered the Mainstream
Given the recent growth of extensive data-based analysis and research, as well as cloud-based coding, I anticipate a surge in high-performance computing usage in 2022. High-performance computing will become extremely relevant in fields ranging from drug discovery to disease research to space travel, and quantum computational power must keep up.
Players such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alibaba have already made significant progress in the quantum computing space. Startups like Rigetti Computing, D-Wave Systems, ColdQuanta, 1QBit, Zapata Computer technology, and QC Ware have outperformed the industry in terms of technology and growth.
I anticipate rapid progress in quantum computing during 2022, owing to the high demand for more powerful machines, which will accelerate development in this sector. We can expect to hear about new developments in large qubits in the coming year. Commercial quantum computing will be available soon, and recent breakthroughs will occur rapidly.
Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Cloud Computing will continue to grow.
A.I. has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. We see the application of artificial intelligence everywhere as it improves personalisation, ranks search results, recommends products, understands and controls devices, builds better models of the environment, and automates the industry.
Predictive analytics is being used by businesses to forecast future trends. According to Facts & Factors, the global advanced analytics market is expected to reach $22.1 billion by the end of 2026 at a compound annual rate of around 24.5 per cent.
Cloud technology will also see rapid growth. By 2022, the cloud will be more entrenched, with more computing workloads running on it. The internet of things will undoubtedly expand this space. According to Gartner, global spending on cloud services is expected to exceed $482 billion in 2022, up from $314 billion in 2020.
Internet security and privacy reign supreme.
As the globe becomes more digital, we see an increase in the number of personal and organisational cyberattacks worldwide. Several corporations have recently been the target of significant cyberattacks, and businesses have become much more vulnerable to destructive attacks, in part due to increased remote work as a result of the pandemic.
I anticipate that cyberattacks will occur across sectors in 2022 and that the industry will take a variety of countermeasures. Defending against cyberattacks will entail educating individuals on identifying and avoiding intrusion attempts, thereby protecting their company’s reputation.
Using A.I., robust cybersecurity protocols will be easier, less costly, and more effective than ever before. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable cybersecurity to detect risks and learn the behaviours of cybercriminals, thereby preventing future attacks. It can also help to reduce the amount of time it takes cybersecurity specialists to complete tasks.
In 2022, the Metaverse Will Shine
The metaverse is a virtual reality that combines social media, internet play, virtual world, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies to enable virtual user interaction. The term “metaverse” can apply to anything on the internet, including all of AR’s offerings. The metaverse is described as a virtual space of the future, providing access to various entertainment and initiatives, including the opportunity to work.
We anticipate that the metaverse will be immersive, pervasive, and free to use. It will be digitally focused and involve large-scale entertainment, social connection, productivity levels, and behaviour modification. It will establish an ecosystem for developers, apps, advertisements, and new digital innovations. The metaverse will facilitate ease, usage, and zero friction access to services.
Only a few companies have a genuine stake in the metaverse today. ByteDance, Tencent, Facebook, Spotify, Zoom, Amazon (Twitch), Alibaba, Roblox, Bilibili, Snapchat, Kuaishou, and Huawei are among them. Apple’s wearables also hint at the metaverse, with AR glasses on the way. Microsoft, with Microsoft Teams and gaming, is possibly the most technologically advanced corporation globally when it comes to the metaverse. The ability of WeChat to facilitate payments and access to a variety of services marks the beginning of the metaverse super apps.
I expect the metaverse eco-system to directly impact the future of many technology sectors as it grows in 2022. Gamification, wearables, VR and AR, collaborative productivity (Canva, Slack), consumer tech products (including AR glasses or smart speakers), social networks, instructional technology, health technology, communications technologies (Zoom), digital currencies, and convenience mobilisation and on-demand usages, such as Amazon, Meituan, Alibaba, JD.com, and Shopify, are examples.
NFT Platforms Will Prosper
A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital object made up of computer code and data representing ownership of something. The property could be virtual real estate in the virtual world or specialist equipment in a video game. It could also be tangible, such as real estate, a painting, or a concert ticket. An NFT can also be a hybrid, such as the right to choose who can rent a place in a communal living space. Baseball cards, Ronaldo’s first ball, a vintage car, or a plot of land in Central London are all one-of-a-kind items that can be transferred to the NFT.
In 2022, we can expect to see NFTs in movies, TV shows, books, and other media. NFTs are a part of the digital economic system and are becoming more popular because they allow folks to own something that reflects a piece of something larger than themselves, such as art or a character. The digital economy includes a wide range of online markets, such as game economies, virtual real estate, and even social media platforms such as Facebook.
Our society has evolved rapidly in the last decade, owing primarily to the 2008-2009 financial downturn and the pandemic. These trends combine to shape a world where NFTs will outperform traditional collectables, making 2022 a fantastic year.
The Robotics Industry Will Proliferate
By 2022, we anticipate an increase in robotics in daily life. Health care, agriculture, automotive, warehousing, and supply chain management will benefit from robotics-based automated processes, which will continue to advance.
The Covid-19 pandemic presents challenges and opportunities for logistics and supermarket robotics businesses. Unexpected strains on the power supply and product scarcities have highlighted the importance of improving supply chain efficiency. It has also become clear that robots and automation provide a safe way for automakers to keep the employees socially separated while still allowing the business to operate.
The use of robotics process automation (RPA) aids in automating repetitive tasks; we anticipate that RPA will grow in 2022 and become a standard business technology. According to CIO, chief information officers are utilising RPA to free employees from tedious, repetitive tasks and allow them to do more fulfilling work. Finally, there is an increase in nanorobotics, tiny sensors with limited processing power. The first practical application of these nano-machines could be in nanomedicine. Biological computers, for example, are used to detect and destroy cancer cells, as well as to deliver drugs.
There is a greater sense of urgency in the Renewable Energy Technology Sector.
Changing climate and dramatic news headlines are driving rapid growth in the adoption of sustainable energy. Even during a pandemic, this was the only energy sector that expanded. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 40 per cent more green energy will be produced and used in 2020; the agency anticipates further growth in this area.
The decreasing cost of producing sustainable energy also contributes to widespread adoption. While newer energy technologies such as nuclear fusion, biofuel, and liquid hydrogen may take longer to mature, we anticipate significant progress in 2022.
I also anticipate a significant increase in the production and use of solar and wind technology. Storage (battery) technologies are becoming more critical, as there will be a greater need to store renewable energy.
Blockchain Technology is the winner.
Blockchain, a novel type of distributed ledger, enables businesses to track transactions and conduct business with untrustworthy parties – even without the assistance of financial institutions. This new capability reduces business conflicts significantly while also providing other benefits such as append-only data structure, transparency, security, immutability, and decentralisation.
Blockchain technology has seen widespread adoption and continues to disrupt a wide range of industries, from playing games and governance to funding. According to the International Data Corporation, companies will spend nearly $6.6 billion on blockchain solutions in 2021, a 50% increase over the previous year. In 2024, this figure is expected to exceed $15 billion. With the rise of NFTs and the metaverse, blockchain will become more critical in 2022.
Businesses are encouraged to begin researching blockchain technology because it is estimated to produce significant growth opportunities; according to Statista, global blockchain technology is expected to grow to more than $23.3 billion by 2023. Walmart’s supply chain application software is a notable current blockchain deployment, allowing for monitoring individual products directly to their source, successfully uplifting food supply standards. Amazon is launching blockchain projects in 2019 that will enable Amazon Web Services customers to
Bottom Line
As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, there is little doubt that these and many other technologies will advance rapidly by 2022. I see this as a golden opportunity for smart startup companies, corporate entities, and investors to capitalise on emerging business and technology patterns to become more successful than ever before. Let us hope that the resulting innovation improves the world for people and businesses alike.
