Trends Identified

Geopolitical shifts
In 2012, the Brics countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were reported as being responsible for more than 25% of the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity and home to 40% of the global population. The axis of the world’s economic and geopolitical power has shifted – and will continue to shift – from west and north to east and south. Poverty patterns and distributions are changing alongside the wider geopolitical shifts, and donor policies are changing alongside them. Declining overseas development assistance to middle income countries and new donors entering the landscape are reshaping the nature of aid. Moreover, there is a risk that some growing political powers restrict the space for civil society action.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Processes of technological transformation and innovation
Technological innovation could have a very significant impact on the ability of people to meet their needs and to adapt to climate change. The world is becoming hyper-connected. Technological changes and the rapid diffusion of information and communications technologies, particularly among young people, have also broken down many of the old barriers between northern and southern publics. By 2030, it is estimated that 50% of the global population will have internet access. There is also growing appreciation of how technology links to human and environmental systems, escalating conflict or cooperation.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Inequality
Economic growth in at least 40 countries has helped to lift many hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It is important not to allow rising GDP per capita in middle-income countries mask remaining underlying challenges – including rising inequality, weak social protection, poor infrastructures (particularly in urban areas), environmental degradation, and rising citizen expectations. Already, according to an Oxfam report, 85 billionaires have the same wealth as the bottom half of the world’s population. In 2012, 71% of the world’s population was reported to live in nations where income inequality is increasing. As well as stifling economic growth, inequality has a significant negative impact upon health and educational outcomes as well as security.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Wireless 5G takes hold
While the next generation of broadband will make internet speeds faster, that’s far from the biggest perk (current speeds are plenty fast). 5G will offer improved latency, drastically reducing the time it takes for connected devices to communicate with one another. This is the key to making the internet of things (IoT) come to life because our current infrastructure cannot support the burgeoning universe of products adequately, including everything from streaming Netflix on multiple devices in 4k to connecting phones, iPads and laptops to coffee machines, refrigerators and security systems. The coming of 5G will change that. This not only presents opportunities for internet providers like Verizon, Fios and Spectrum but also the owners of cell towers such as Crown Castle. Even though everyone has an appetite for better internet, no one wants more cell towers in their city, meaning the value of the existing ones goes up. Other beneficiaries will include the handset makers, something that should be music to Apple’s ears. The company is no doubt looking to offset the struggles that it faces in China by entering a massive upgrade cycle over the next few years as it unveils 5G-ready devices. Qualcomm and Intel are also poised to do well since their chips will power the modems that will make wireless 5G a reality.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
Video games are the new social media
At over 2.3 billion, Facebook has by far more users than any social media platform worldwide (Twitter, by comparison, has about 325 million). That’s why, despite its increasingly tattered reputation, Facebook continues to be popular with advertisers in search of eyeballs. At the same time, Facebook has a problem with young people, with only about half of all high-school aged kids being active on the platform. If young people are not using Facebook now, what makes anyone believe that they’ll log on when they get older? They most likely won't, and a big reason why is video games. Thanks partly to the rousing success of “Fortnite,” Amazon-owned Twitch and other platforms like it are creating communities that young people prize far more than Facebook, whether they are watching their favorite gamers or facing off with their friends or with others across the globe. These types of immersive experiences dwarf anything Facebook offers this group, calling into question whether the company can sustain its advertising prowess in the years to come as the younger generation becomes a highly sought-after consumer demographic. Underscoring this dynamic is Netflix, which said in its most recent shareholder letter that it competes more with “Fortnite” than it does HBO. Skeptics will scoff at that, pointing out (correctly) even the biggest phenomenon fade at some point. However, the next huge game is just around the corner, and when it arrives, Netflix, along with social media, will have to worry about it cannibalizing users too. All this is good news for gaming companies, including Tencent, whose subsidiary, Epic Games, published “Fortnite,” Electronic Arts and Activision.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
Autonomous driving and artificial intelligence
The future of transportation will branch in two directions. One is the Waymo approach, which essentially seeks to remove human drivers from the equation, leaving us with almost an AI-powered Uber alternative. The other is exemplified by Tesla, which is infusing manned vehicles with a series of innovative autonomous features. Each will be here quicker than most realize. One of the reasons is that advances in artificial intelligence are driven, in part, by the availability of more data, so with each new Tesla or Waymo test vehicle that hits the road, semi-autonomous and autonomous capabilities grow exponentially. This is especially true for Tesla’s systems, thanks to the company delivering almost as many cars last year as all previous years combined. AI-enabled transportation is yet another area where investors have an excellent opportunity to back chip makers Nvidia and Intel, whose valuations in recent months have become far more reasonable due to trade-related issues that will likely dissipate going forward. As we move to the next level of internet, entertainment and transportation, there will be huge opportunities for the companies that are best positioned to take advantage of the new technology trends. Investors should take notice.
2019
Three Big Tech Trends For 2019
Forbes
Liquid biopsies
Liquid biopsies mark a step forward in the fight against cancer. First, they are an alternative where traditional tissue-based biopsies are not possible. Second, they provide a full spectrum of information compared to tissue samples, which only reflect the information available in the sample. Lastly, by homing in on circulating-tumor DNA (ctDNA), genetic material that routinely finds its way from cancer cells into the bloodstream, disease progression or resistance to treatment can be spotted much faster than otherwise relying on symptoms or imaging.
2017
These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2017
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Harvesting clean water from air
The ability to extract clean water from air is not new, however existing techniques require high moisture levels and a lot of electricity. This is changing. A team from MIT and University of California, Berkeley has successfully tested a process using porous crystals that convert the water using no energy at all. Another approach, by a start-up called Zero Mass Water from Arizona is able to produce 2-5 litres of water a day based on an off-grid solar system.
2017
These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2017
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Deep learning for visual tasks
Computers are beginning to recognize images better than humans. Thanks to deep learning, an emerging field of artificial intelligence, computer-vision technologies are increasingly being used in applications as diverse as driving autonomous vehicles, medical diagnostics, damage assessment for insurance claims and monitoring of water levels and crop yield.
2017
These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2017
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Liquid fuels from sunshine
Can we mimic the humble leaf to create an artificial photosynthesis to generate and store energy? The prospects are looking increasingly positive. The answer lies in using sunlight-activated catalysts to split water molecules into water and hydrogen, and then using the same hydrogen to convert CO2 into hydrocarbons. Such a closed system - wherein CO2 emitted by combustion is then transformed back into fuel instead of the atmosphere - could prove to be revolutionary for the solar and wind industries.
2017
These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2017
World Economic Forum (WEF)