Tencent, one of China's leading technology companies, published a report detailing the top 10 technology trends expected to influence the year 2024. Tencent Research Institute compiled the report which offers a comprehensive analysis of future technology advancements and its potential impact on different sectors. The report outlines several key trends.
Quantum Computing (QPUs) and Quantum Processor Units: IBM's unveiling in December 2023 of the Quantum System Two marked a major milestone in quantum computation, introducing an architecture modular that could accommodate as many as 10,000 qubits. This new development indicates a new direction in quantum computing, focusing on replicability. The focus of the QPU has also shifted away from the number of qubits and towards factors such as error correction, scalability and replicability.
High-Performance Computing and its Cloud-Edge Collaboration: HPC's evolution is moving toward a collaborative framework between cloud computing and edge computing. Applications like autonomous driving and robots become more feasible as single-point computing power reaches exascale levels. Edge computing is also being enhanced by technologies like optoelectronic and neuromorphic chips.
Diversified High Performance Chips: Tech giants such as Microsoft and Meta develop high-performance AI accelerators and CPUs. Other chip architectures, beyond the traditional x86-architecture, are entering the HPC realm. Intel, AMD and Nvidia are integrating Near-Memory Computing technology to address the "memory-wall" bottleneck.
Cloud-Native Technologies are Increasingly Popular: Cloud platforms are advancing support for HPC Services. This trend will unleash the power of HPC.
Scientific Computing and Simulation Applications are on the Rise: The application of cloud native technologies and the expansion and upgrade of global HPC Clusters is making computing power accessible. The growth of scientific simulations is expected to be significant, from microscopical particle simulations to geospatial and weather simulations.
AI-Driven Industrial Development: AI large-scale models are becoming a key factor for upgrading industries and achieving high-quality developments. These models will be used first by digital-native companies and industries that have a high level of integration between digital and physical systems.
Sustainable High-Performance Computer: As data centers consume more power, sustainable computing has become a priority. Intel and IBM have focused on high-performance, sustainable computing technologies.
IoT Era & Ubiquitous computing: The proliferation and interconnectedness of products such as smart home devices, self-driving vehicles and other connected devices is driving the creation of universal operating system that simplifies management and control.
Cloud computing adapts to user needs: The complexity of cloud services has evolved due to technologies such as AI, big data and digital twins.
Spacetime AI For Urban Dynamics: Spacetime AI has been used to model various urban scenarios and aid in the efficient planning and management cities.
Web3: Its expanding applications: Despite its challenges, Web3 has evolved to accommodate more uses beyond cryptocurrency transactions. This is thanks to improvements in transaction verification and privacy protection.
Robotics With Enhanced Tactile Sensation: Technological advances in materials, electronics and machine-learning algorithms have improved the spatial resolution and accuracy for tactile sensors. This will be beneficial to various applications, including remote operation of medical surgery robots and industrial robots.
Interactive Applications of Digital Humans: From non-interactive entities, digital humans are evolving into intelligent, interactive beings that can engage in complex interactions. This could extend beyond gaming, to areas such as tourism, sales and marketing, education, or information.
Digital Office to Enhance Collaboration: Major companies are expected to adopt remote or hybrid working models as the pandemic-induced shift towards remote work continues.
Integrated Industry Security : As digital technologies are increasingly used in various industries, the need for security measures that cover infrastructure, data, digital supplies chains, and cybersecurity is increasing.
Tencent's vision of the future and its impact on industries and daily life is reflected in these trends.
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