As 2021 progresses, it’s time to think about those technological trends in companies that will survive this year, and that will be seen in 2022. Jorge Zuñiga Blanco, a successful entrepreneur and technology enthusiast from Costa Rica, is very attentive to how emerging trends affect companies in all sectors. He discusses some of the trends that will survive this year and that deserve attention heading into 2022.
Without going into analyzing each of the trends individually, it’s important to emphasize that many of them have a long history, and not all are applicable to all business sectors. For example, next-generation computing promises to reduce the time of new developments for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry by applying simulations but may not be of easy application in the transport sector.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is already part of many of the initiatives related to sustainable cities or the distribution industry, as we saw last week. In addition, this year, we have seen an increase without coming from computer attacks that use AI technology to be more sophisticated and harmful.
In another order of things, the Industrial Internet of Things, or IIoT, as well as digital twins or 3D and 4D printing, promise to streamline repetitive tasks and make the industrial sector more efficient, to be able to put products on the market in less time. Not surprisingly, it is estimated that 50% of work activities could be automated by 2025.
We are not misled when you consider that industrial robot installations have doubled since 2015, reaching an impressive projected 600,000 in 2022. In addition, it is predicted that around 10% of manufacturing processes will be replaced by 3D or 4D printing by 2030.
We must not lose sight of the fact that the data suggest that the future of connectivity is positive. Asserts Zuñiga, “By 2030, 80% of the world’s population is projected to have access to fifth-generation coverage. Alongside broadband and IoT, faster connectivity over longer distances and better downloads will be possible, as well as reduced latency.”
One of the trends that most attracts attention in the aforementioned study is that related to distributed IT infrastructure. It combines cloud computing and edge computing, helping companies to be faster and faster, be simpler, save costs and be more secure in the face of growing cybersecurity threats. By 2022, 70% of enterprises will use hybrid management processes, the foundation of distributed IT infrastructures.
Another trend that has become recurrent in recent years is the detection of patterns that allows informed decision-making. It is especially interesting for those industries that depend on the attention to users and their changing tastes. It helps companies improve interaction, become more competitive and reduce operating costs. Thanks to applied artificial intelligence, 75% of user touchpoints improve in personalization, usability and generate more conversions.
The last year and a half have been like an amusement park for hackers. Telecommuting, critical infrastructure and the digitization of virtually all daily operations have put the cybersecurity industry in check. “Thanks to trust architectures,” explains Zuñiga, “companies have the necessary technology to verify the reliability of devices. We talk about technologies such as DLT, including blockchain to prevent data leaks.”
In addition, thanks to these technologies, companies can see compliance costs reduced, while reducing the operating expenses associated with cybersecurity, increasingly necessary and increased by the current situation.
It’s not a matter of fads. Clean technologies are behind many of the decisions that governments and institutions make aimed at the energy transition. The data indicates that by 2050 75% of the world’s energy will be generated by renewable sources.
This approach will affect multiple industries, especially industrial, but also the building, transportation, water, food, supply chain and many more industries. We must not lose sight of the fact that virtually all daily business operations require energy. The costs of CO2 emissions have created a growing and profitable market, indicating the importance they will have in the future for the market.
