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McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2022
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MCKINSEY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS OUTLOOK 2022

August 24, 2022 | Interactive

By Michael Chui, Roger Roberts, and Lareina Yee
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Which technology trends matter most for companies in 2022? New analysis by the
McKinsey Technology Council highlights the development, possible uses, and
industry effects of advanced technologies.


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Special Report

MCKINSEY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS OUTLOOK 2022

Full Report (184 pages)Executive Summary (47 pages)

Technology continues to be a primary catalyst for change in the world.
Technology advances give businesses, governments, and social-sector institutions
more possibilities to lift their productivity, invent and reinvent offerings,
and contribute to humanity’s well-being. And while it remains difficult to
predict how technology trends will play out, executives can plan ahead better by
tracking the development of new technologies, anticipating how companies might
use them, and understanding the factors that affect innovation and adoption.

To that end, we have worked with the external and internal experts on the
McKinsey Technology Council to identify and interpret 14 of the most significant
technology trends unfolding today. This study builds on the trend research we
shared last year, adding fresh data and deeper analysis to provide a more
granular assessment of trends in two thematic groups: Silicon Age, which
encompasses digital and IT technologies, and Engineering Tomorrow, which
encompasses physical technologies in domains such as energy and mobility.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To assess the development of each technology trend, our team collected data on
five tangible measures of activity: search engine queries, news publications,
patents, research publications, and investment. For each measure, we used a
defined set of data sources to find occurrences of keywords associated with each
of the 14 trends, screened those occurrences for valid mentions of activity, and
indexed the resulting numbers of mentions on a 0–1 scoring scale that is
relative to the trends studied. The innovation score combines the patents and
research scores; the interest score combines the news and search scores. (While
we recognize that an interest score can be inflated by deliberate efforts to
stimulate news and search activity, we believe that each score fairly reflects
the extent of discussion and debate about a given trend.) Investment measures
the flows of funding from the capital markets into companies linked with the
trend. Data sources for the scores include the following:

 * Patents. Data on patent filings are sourced from Google Patents.
 * Research. Data on research publications are sourced from the Lens
   (www.lens.org).
 * News. Data on news publications are sourced from Factiva.
 * Searches. Data on search engine queries are sourced from Google Trends.
 * Investment. Data on private-market and public-market capital raises are
   sourced from PitchBook.


The associations shown on the industry heat map were derived by reviewing the
news reports on each trend for references to specific companies within each of
the 20 industries.

In addition, we updated the selection and definition of trends from last year’s
study to reflect the evolution of technology trends:



 * Trends added since last year’s study: industrializing machine learning, Web3,
   immersive-reality technologies, future of mobility, and future of space
   technologies
 * Trends not carried over from last year’s study: next-level process automation
   and virtualization (now considered an implication of several trends) and
   next-generation materials (partially represented by other trends)
 * Trends with adjusted definitions: next-generation software development
   (partly covered under future of programming in 2021), trust architectures and
   digital identity (partly covered by trust architecture in 2021), future of
   sustainable consumption (disaggregated from future of clean technologies),
   and future of clean energy (disaggregated from future of clean technologies)
 * Trends with minor changes to definition: applied AI, advanced connectivity
   (previously called future of connectivity), cloud and edge computing
   (previously called distributed infrastructure), quantum technologies
   (previously called next-generation computing), and future of bioengineering
   (previously called Bio Revolution)

Our analysis examines such tangible factors as investment, research activity,
and news coverage to gauge the momentum of each trend. We also conducted dozens
of interviews and performed hundreds of hours of research to learn which
industries are apt to benefit most as they absorb these technologies. And,
recognizing that trends can shift, we examined the uncertainties and questions
that surround each of them. (For more, please see the sidebar, “Research
methodology.”)

Below, we lay out these considerations for all 14 technology trends, so that you
can better understand them and consider how they relate to your organization. At
the bottom of this page, you can download detailed profiles of all these trends
or download a customized PDF containing profiles of the trends you choose.

To describe the state of each trend, we developed scores for innovation (based
on patents and research) and interest (based on news and web searches). We also
counted investments in relevant technologies and rated their level of adoption
by organizations.
0
1
2
3
4
5
250
150
75
20
Color = 2021 Adoption rate score
(0 = no adoption;
5 = mainstream adoption)
Size = 2021 Investment, $ billion
Silicon age


APPLIED AI

Models trained in machine learning can be used to solve classification,
prediction, and control problems to automate activities, add or augment
capabilities and offerings, and make better decisions.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$165
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Agriculture
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Chemicals
Construction and building materials
Consumer packaged goods
Education
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Metals and mining
Oil and gas
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Public and social sectors
Real estate
Retail
Telecommunications
Silicon age


ADVANCED CONNECTIVITY

5G/6G cellular, wireless low-power networks, low-Earth-orbit satellites, and
other technologies support a host of digital solutions that can drive growth and
productivity across industries.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$166
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Construction and building materials
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Healthcare systems and services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Metals and mining
Oil and gas
Retail
Telecommunications
Engineering tomorrow


FUTURE OF BIOENGINEERING

Converging biological and information technologies improve health and human
performance, transform food value chains, and create innovative products and
services.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$72
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Agriculture
Chemicals
Healthcare systems and services
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Engineering tomorrow


FUTURE OF CLEAN ENERGY

Clean-energy solutions help drive toward net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions
across the energy value chain, from power generation to power storage and
distribution.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$257
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Chemicals
Construction and building materials
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Metals and mining
Oil and gas
Public and social sectors
Engineering tomorrow


FUTURE OF MOBILITY

Mobility technologies aim to improve the efficiency and sustainability of land
and air transportation of people and goods.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$236
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Financial services
Oil and gas
Public and social sectors
Retail
Engineering tomorrow


FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

Sustainable consumption involves transforming industrial and individual
consumption through technology to address environmental risks, including climate
change.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$109
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Agriculture
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Chemicals
Construction and building materials
Consumer packaged goods
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Information technology and electronics
Metals and mining
Oil and gas
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Public and social sectors
Real estate
Retail
Telecommunications
Silicon age


WEB3

Web3 includes platforms and applications that enable shifts toward a future,
decentralized internet with open standards and protocols while protecting
digital-ownership rights, providing users with greater ownership of their data
and catalyzing new business models.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$110
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Financial services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Retail
Silicon Age


INDUSTRIALIZING MACHINE LEARNING

Industrialized machine learning (ML) uses software and hardware solutions to
accelerate the development and deployment of ML and to support performance
monitoring, stability, and ongoing improvement.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$5
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Automotive and assembly
Financial services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Telecommunications
Silicon age


IMMERSIVE-REALITY TECHNOLOGIES

Immersive-reality technologies use sensing technologies and spatial computing to
help users “see the world differently” through mixed or augmented reality or
“see a different world” through virtual reality.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$30
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Construction and building materials
Education
Electric power, natural gas, and utilities
Healthcare systems and services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Real estate
Retail
Silicon Age


CLOUD AND EDGE COMPUTING

Cloud and edge computing involves distributing computing workloads across remote
data centers and local nodes to improve data sovereignty, autonomy, resource
productivity, latency, and security.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$136
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Automotive and assembly
Aviation, travel, and logistics
Financial services
Healthcare systems and services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Retail
Telecommunications
Silicon Age


TRUST ARCHITECTURES AND DIGITAL IDENTITY

Digital-trust technologies enable organizations to build, scale, and maintain
the trust of stakeholders in the use of their data and digital-enabled products
and services.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$34
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Consumer packaged goods
Education
Financial services
Healthcare systems and services
Information technology and electronics
Media and entertainment
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Public and social sectors
Retail
Telecommunications
Engineering Tomorrow


FUTURE OF SPACE TECHNOLOGIES

Advances and cost reductions across satellites, launchers, and habitation
technologies enable innovative space operations and services.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$12
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Telecommunications
Silicon Age


QUANTUM TECHNOLOGIES

Quantum-based technologies could provide an exponential increase in
computational performance for certain problems and transform networks by making
them more secure.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$3
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Aerospace and defense
Chemicals
Financial services
Information technology and electronics
Metals and mining
Oil and gas
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Silicon Age


NEXT-GENERATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

Next-generation tools aid in the development of software applications, improving
processes and software quality; tools include AI-enabled development and testing
and low-code or no-code platforms.
0
1
2
3
4
5
Adoption rate score, 2021
(0 = none; 5 = mainstream)
$2
billion
Investment, 2021
Learn more about this trend
Applicable industries
Financial services
Information technology and electronics
00.20.40.60.81.0Interest, score (0 = lower; 1 =
higher)00.20.40.60.81.0         Innovation,          score (0 = lower; 1 =
higher)20212021202120212021202120212021202120212021202120212021
Trends
Applied AI
1
Advanced connectivity
2
Future of bioengineering
3
Future of clean energy
4
Future of mobility
5
Future of sustainable consumption
6
Web3
7
Industrializing machine learning
8
Immersive-reality technologies
9
Cloud and edge computing
10
Trust architectures and digital identity
11
Future of space technologies
12
Quantum technologies
13
Next-generation software development
14




DOWNLOAD DETAILED TREND PROFILES

The research overview offers summaries of all 14 technology trends. You can also
create a custom document containing detailed profiles of trends you choose:
check the boxes in the list below to select trend profiles, and then click the
“Download your custom report” button at the bottom to generate a PDF.

React App You need to enable JavaScript to run this app.
CREATE A CUSTOM REPORT
Silicon Age
 (select all)
 Download PDF
(10mb)
Advanced connectivity
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Applied AI
 Download PDF
(952kb)
Cloud and edge computing
 Download PDF
(2mb)
Immersive-reality technologies
 Download PDF
(2mb)
Industrializing machine learning
 Download PDF
(847kb)
Next-generation software development
 Download PDF
(905kb)
Quantum technologies
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Trust architectures and digital identity
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Web3
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Engineering Tomorrow
 (select all)
 Download PDF
(7mb)
Future of bioengineering
 Download PDF
(918kb)
Future of clean energy
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Future of mobility
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Future of space technologies
 Download PDF
(1mb)
Future of sustainable consumption
 Download PDF
(661kb)
 Download custom report


ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Michael Chui is a McKinsey Global Institute partner in McKinsey’s Bay Area
office, where Roger Roberts is a partner and Lareina Yee is a senior partner.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The authors wish to thank the following McKinsey colleagues for their
contributions to this research: Soumya Banerjee, Arjita Bhan, Andreas Breiter,
Tom Brennan, Ryan Brukardt, Kevin Buehler, Zina Cole, Jacomo Corbo, Chris
Daehnick, Ian De Bode, Hugo del Campo, Rayan Elsharkawi, Delfino Garcia, Justin
Greis, Liz Grennan, Rob Hamill, Tinashe Handina, Martin Harrysson, David Harvey,
Kersten Heineke, Matt Higginson, Nicolas Hohn, Alharith Hussein, Mena Issler,
Jesse Klempner, Benedikt Kloss, Charlie Lewis, Martin Linder, Niko Mohr, Timo
Möller, Chandrasekhar Panda, Mark Patel, Robin Riedel, Tanya Sheptock, Sven
Smit, Shivam Srivastava, Bhargs Srivathsan, Brooke Stokes, Kimberly Te, Kasia
Tokarska, Selena Wang-Thomas, Ameera Waterford, Allen Weinberg, Linde Wester,
Olivia White, Perez Yeptho, and Matija Zesko.

They also wish to thank the external members of the McKinsey Technology Council.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This interactive was designed, developed, and edited by McKinsey Global
Publishing’s Nayomi Chibana, Zachary Enco, Richard Johnson, Stephen Landau,
LaShon Malone, Kanika Punwani, and Josh Rosenfield.

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