The Top 10 Business and Technology Trends for 2022

Life is returning to normal as Covid-19 vaccinations become more widespread around the world. 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, biotechnology, environmental sciences, 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 in part to increased 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 advanced research, robotics technology, artificial intelligence (A.I.) tools, cloud technology, drug testing speed improvement, genetic information integration, and gene technology use.

I also anticipate the advancement of personalized medicine as a result of advances in genetics technology. For example, the startup 23andMe enables people to access, understand, and benefit from the human genome.

Expansion of 5G-6G and Satellite-Based Internet Usage in Networking and Interconnectivity

As remote working becomes more common, internet 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 levels will continue to drive research and advance the internet economy.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index forecast 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, internet users will have consumed 4.8 zettabytes of data per year, which is 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 present. In 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened higher frequency spectrum for experimental 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 seriously consider 6G, and more announcements are expected in 2022.

High-Performance Computing Has Entered the Mainstream

Given the recent growth of big data-based research and analysis, as well as cloud-based computing, I anticipate a surge in high-performance computing usage in 2022. High-performance computing will become increasingly important in fields ranging from drug discovery to cancer research to space exploration, and quantum computing technology must keep up with business demand.

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 Computing, 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. In the coming year, we can expect to hear about new developments in large qubits. Commercial quantum computing will be available soon, and new breakthroughs will occur at a rapid pace.

Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, and Cloud Computing will continue to grow

A.I. has become an indispensible part of our daily lives. As we look toward 2022, we see the application of artificial intelligence everywhere, from personalization improvements, ranking search results, recommending products, and understanding and controlling devices to building better models of the environment and automating industry.

Predictive analytics is being used by businesses to forecast future trends. According to Facts & Factors, the global predictive analytics market is expected to reach $22.1 billion by the end of 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of around 24.5 percent.

Cloud computing 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 world becomes more digital, we are seeing an increase in the number of personal and organizational cyberattacks worldwide. Several corporations have recently been the target of major cyberattacks, and businesses have become 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 how to identify and avoid network attacks, thereby protecting their company’s reputation.

Using A.I., robust cybersecurity protocols will be easier, less expensive, and more effective than ever before. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) can enable cybersecurity to detect risks and learn the behaviors of cybercriminals, thereby preventing future attacks. It can also help to reduce the amount of time it takes cybersecurity specialists to complete their daily tasks.

In 2022, the Metaverse Will Shine

The metaverse is a virtual reality that combines social media, online gaming, augmented reality, 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 forms of entertainment and projects, including the opportunity to work.

We anticipate that the metaverse will be immersive, pervasive, and free to use. It will be digitally focused and may involve large-scale entertainment, social connection, work productivity, and behavior modification. It will establish an entire ecosystem for developers, apps, advertisements, and new digital innovations. Convenience, consumption, and frictionless access to services will be facilitated by the metaverse.

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 company in the world 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 ecosystem to have a direct impact on the future of many technology sectors as it grows in 2022. Gaming, wearables, VR and AR, collaborative productivity (Canva, Slack), consumer tech products (including AR glasses or smart speakers), social networks, educational technology, health technology, communication technology (Zoom), digital currencies, convenience mobilization, and on-demand consumption are examples of these (Amazon, Meituan, Alibaba, JD.com, Shopify).

NFT Platforms Will Boom

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital object made up of computer code and data that represents ownership of something. The property could be virtual real estate in the virtual world or special equipment in a video game. It could also be something 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 room in a cooperative 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 economy and are becoming more popular because they allow people to own something that represents 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 changed rapidly in the last decade, owing primarily to the 2008-2009 economic crisis and the pandemic. These trends are combining to shape a world in which NFTs will outperform traditional collectibles, making 2022 a fantastic year.

The Robotics Industry Will Proliferate

During 2022, we anticipate an increase in the use of robotics in everyday life. Health care, agriculture, automotive, warehousing, and supply chain management will all benefit from robotics-based automation, which will continue to advance.

The Covid-19 pandemic presents both challenges and opportunities for logistics and supermarket robotics companies. Unexpected strains on supply systems and product shortages have highlighted the importance of improving supply chain efficiency. It has also become clear that robots and automation provide a safe way for manufacturers to keep employees socially separated while still allowing the business to operate.

The use of robotics process automation (RPA) aids in the automation of repetitive tasks; we anticipate that RPA will grow in 2022 and become a standard business technology. According to CIO, chief information officers are utilizing RPA to free employees from boring, repetitive tasks and allow them to do more fulfilling work. Finally, there is an increase in nanorobotics, which are tiny sensors with limited processing power. The first practical applications of these nano-machines could be in nanomedicine. Biological machines, for example, are used to detect and destroy cancer cells, as well as to deliver drugs.

In the Renewable Energy Technology Sector, there is a greater sense of urgency.
Climate change and dramatic news headlines are driving rapid growth in the adoption of sustainable energy. During the pandemic, this was the only energy sector that expanded. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), green energy was generated and used 40 percent more in 2020, with the agency expecting continued growth in 2022.

The decreasing cost of producing sustainable energy also contributes to the likelihood of 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 important, 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 decentralization.

Blockchain technology has seen widespread adoption and continues to disrupt a wide range of industries, including gaming, governance, and finance. Companies will spend nearly $6.6 billion on blockchain solutions in 2021, up 50% from the previous year, according to International Data Corporation. This figure is expected to exceed $15 billion by 2024. Blockchain will become more important in 2022 as NFTs and the metaverse gain traction.

Businesses are encouraged to begin researching blockchain technology because it is expected to generate significant business opportunities; according to Statista, global blockchain technology is expected to exceed $23.3 billion by 2023. Walmart’s supply chain database application is a notable existing blockchain deployment, allowing the monitoring of individual products directly to their source, effectively elevating food supply standards. Amazon is launching blockchain initiatives in 2019, allowing Amazon Web Services customers to benefit from distributed ledger solutions.

Looking Ahead

As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, there is little doubt that these and other technologies will advance rapidly by 2022. I see this as a golden opportunity for smart startups, corporations, and investors to capitalize on emerging technology and business trends to become more successful than ever before. Let us hope that the resulting innovation improves the world for people and businesses alike.