What are the top tech trends to follow in 2024?

Kickstarting the Green Revolution:

Environmental sustainability has long been a buzzword in the tech industry. We’ve all heard the term, but we have yet to see significant advancements in using technology in more sustainable ways.

2024 is the year this all changes.

Sustainability is no longer going to be optional but imperative, with new ways to shift our approach to development and usage. Cloud computing, smart buildings, and digital twins have the power to transform how we distribute, use, and conserve energy.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is changing the way in which energy is distributed in energy markets. It enables more interaction between producers and users across countries and even continents. This means more efficient energy production and less wasted resources, as continent-sized grids work together more efficiently.

Smart buildings and digital twins

2024 will see the mass adoption of smart building systems and digital twins, which will also contribute to energy efficiency. They will give organisations new tools to control energy consumption and allow for a significant reduction in everyone’s carbon footprint globally.

Photo by Patrick Campanale on Unsplash

Three Green trends will lead the way

Those emerging technologies have the potential to redefine energy consumption but also follow a wider trend of transition towards more sustainable practices in tech, which will be signalled by three key directions:

• The substitution of non-renewable resources with renewable energy and biodegradable materials taking centre stage.
• The prevention of environmental degradation through new technologies designed specifically to minimise ecological destruction.
• The efficiency revolution optimises existing infrastructure and technologies for maximum energy and resource conservation.

Our experts say these trends are win-win for businesses. Sustainable energy plays a vital role in addressing climate change.

Selecting smaller AI models with fewer layers and filters specific to use cases, companies will begin to reduce energy consumption costs compared to general systems. In addition to ecologically protecting the planet, they are also increasingly savvy choices economically.[1]

Businesses embracing these trends find themselves on the right side of growing regulatory and consumer demand for greener practices. They can expect more streamlined operations, cost savings, and enhanced brand reputation, which is more like a win-win-win.

Artificial Intelligence is here to stay

Our experts identify AI as an obvious tech trend for 2024. It is a hot-button topic that makes the news daily and affects not only the tech industry but every part of life [2]. It hit the mainstream last year, and since then, its presence and adoption can be felt in an increasing number of ways.

2024 will be the year the technology really takes off. Its applications are as wide-ranging as they are transformative. As companies scramble to introduce AI into their services, we will see it in more and more facets of our daily lives and work. It’s hard to put into words just how much change is coming; to list everything is a job even AI might struggle to do.

Here is just a snippet of what is to come:

• Intelligent Automation will take over the tedious, repetitive tasks which exist in all organisations, leading to new levels of efficiency as employees are freed up to do other tasks.
• Predictive Analytics will provide organisations with a sixth sense in predicting potential challenges by reading and contextualising vast amounts of data.
• Cybersecurity will get an upgrade as AI uses real-time data analysis to pre-emptily detect and mitigate system threats.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) will smash down communication barriers. Expect to see real-time language translation and more human-like interactions with technology.
• Software Development and Testing will be turbo charged with increased automation with is both accurate and incredibly fast.
• Data Managment and Analytics will allow us to extract valuable insights from the most complex data sets and give us new ways to make informed decision-making.
• Intelligent Virtual Assistants will offer you a helping hand in providing instant contextual information and allow you to complete tasks much more efficiently.

Edge AI is coming

In addition to the AI trend, we expect to see a rise in the number of Edge AI applications in 2024. Edge AI brings intelligence to the very edge of the network, whereas ‘traditional’ AI works more centrally. It is a distributed intelligence that can operate without connection to an ‘online brain’ and has widespread applications.

“The global market for Edge Al Software is projected to grow from USD 1.1 billion in 2023 to USD 4.1 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 30.5%”

Oceans of data

It is crucial to manage the sheer amount of data collected by the year 2025. By then, experts predict there will be an estimated 50 billion devices connected to the Internet. By processing this ocean of data locally with Edge AI, we can significantly reduce latency, enhance privacy, and boost data security while freeing up everyone's bandwidth. [3]

Launched in 2023, the Apple Vision PRO leverages AI, including deep learning and computer vision, image source

It will be a catalyst for innovation; our devices will be faster, smarter, and safer than ever. Edge AI allows for real-time data processing which means more responsive automated cars, faster medical diagnostics, and distributed data, which will prevent data breaches and increase privacy in the long run. Our experts say you should expect to hear a lot more about Edge AI this year.

2024, a year of significant changes

Because of the introduction of AI last year, 2024 is set to be one of the most important and transformative years in recent history. It’s the year when AI becomes more integrated into the world around us, it’s the year when green solutions take centre stage, and it’s the year when Edge AI applications change our devices forever.

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Bibliography

[1] blogs.cisco.com/news/2024-x-7-tech-trends-ai-readiness-adoption-and-integration

[2] linkedin.com/pulse/transformative-power-ai-impact-18-vital-industries-maurice-bretzfield-3c/

[3] researchandmarkets.com/report/edge-ai-software