Technology

• [New] In the next decade, quantum computation will become a very disruptive technology in many areas, including in several crucial defense applications.
• [New] While some companies have created small quantum machines, Universal Quantum believes that only its technology, on a reasonable time scale, has a realistic opportunity of being scaled up into machines large enough to unleash the huge potential of quantum computing on a worldwide basis.
• [New] A fundamental shift toward a universal coverage guarantee will allow the United States to modernize the way we support workers during hard times and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to earn a good life.
• [New] Real time payment (RTP) systems that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year will enable gpi instant in many markets over the years.
• [New] By mid-2021, users of PayNow in Singapore or PromptPay in Thailand will be able to send money across two countries using their mobile numbers.
• [New] Cyber-enabled information warfare poses an existential threat that in many ways defies current government and private-sector structures organized to protect digital systems from cyber attack.
• [New] The NextGen Weather Processor will consolidate four legacy weather systems and give operators a single, high-resolution picture using algorithms from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
• [New] The risk of climate change generates a Umwertung aller Werte (Friedrich Nietzsche), a transvaluation of values, turning the system of value orientation upside-down-from postmodern cultural relativism to a historical new fixed star by which to mobilize solidarities and actions.
• [New] The rise of cognitive computing, AI, and data analytics in IoT technology is anticipated to create new opportunities for the global IoT in energy market.
• [New] The retail industry is looking to adopt new robotic technology faster than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with widespread adoption now expected in just a few years.
• [New] 55% of business owners believe that blockchain technology will be critical to their organization in the next two years and individuals are becoming more trusting in the future of cryptocurrencies, especially millennials, with 60% of them being familiar with cryptocurrencies.
• [New] Nuclear thermal propulsion is a leap ahead of conventional propulsion technology and will enable spacecraft to travel immense distances quickly.
• [New] If other countries tire of the U.S. threat to punish banks and businesses around the world that do business with Iran, they could begin to seek alternatives to the U.S. financial system.
• [New] While wearable technologies cater to a certain section of society, smartphones are more ubiquitous in India, with the number of users reaching 830 million by 2022 from half a billion today.
• [New] Major changes are expected in the space environment due to the imminent launch of NewSpace (sometimes Space 2.0) systems, particularly large low Earth orbit constellations that will change the space operations environment.
• [New] Equipment from China's Huawei Technologies and ZTE is banned on the U.S.'s 5G network because it poses a national security risk.
• [New] Babcock International and BAE Systems will continue in-service support for the 4.5-inch Mk 8 medium-calibre guns used by the UK RN on its Type 23 frigates and Type 45 destroyers.
• [New] The card brand plans to use its network scale in the U.K. to enroll billers and payers for B2B and C2B transactions that are accessible via a mobile app or a corporate billing system.
• [New] A Fedcoin could speed up and lower the cost of transferring money, but it could also pose risks for the financial system by drawing money out of private banks and onto the Fed's books.
• [New] In coming years and decades, the world will face more intense and cascading global challenges ranging from disease to climate change to the disruptions from new technologies and financial crises.
• [New] Shenzhen-based Greatwall Tech will be relatively immune as it manufactures an entire product chain from chips and computers to operating systems and network security.
• [New] In the next few years, countries that are moving rapidly through their digitization journey, like Canada and the UK, will likely face similar challenges as digitization continues to roll out within their health systems at pace.
• [New] There's been a pickup in 2021 in the number of financial institutions and other companies saying they will allow their customers to use or to gain access to cryptocurrencies and the blockchain technology that backs them.

Last updated: 12 April 2021