Everything-to-grid energy, direct lithium extraction and lattice-based cryptography are among innovations included in the World Economic Forum's Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report for this year.
The analysis, compiled by the WEF, the Dubai Future Foundation and Frontiers publishing, examines current conditions that will help these and other technologies to "evolve and scale through 2031“.
The concept of everything-to-grid energy revolves around the notion that buildings, vehicles, factories and even data centres can also be used as suppliers of energy to various grids around the world, rather than just users. Proponents have said it could improve energy resilience and shift the definition of renewable power.
With the demand for lithium pivotal to the adoption of renewable energy and electric vehicles, direct lithium extraction, according to WEF's report, is expected to grow in popularity.
Unlike conventional lithium extraction, direct extraction consumes far less water by using specialised materials to remove "lithium from brine in hours rather than months". The report says that this could help to lower the cost of devices that use lithium, while also easing the effect that lithium extraction has on the planet.
Lattice-based cryptography is based on the idea of preserving encrypted data on our computers and devices by relying on a series of mathematical problems consisting of complicated grids, also known as lattices, that are impossible for even quantum computers to solve. If successful, it could mitigate what some cyber experts have described as Q-Day, when quantum computers will be able to decrypt all the systems society has come to rely on for confidentiality and data protection.
“While each of these technologies has the potential to make a meaningful impact on its own, together they tell a broader story about where innovation is heading,” said Stephan Mergenthaler, managing director of the WEF.
Mr Mergenthaler added that the innovations "could challenge long-held assumptions about how we use technology to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as food insecurity, climate change and untreatable diseases”.
Also in the report are passive radiative cooling materials, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) destruction methods, precision fermentation, exosome drug delivery, personalised mRNA cancer vaccines, quantum simulation for drug discovery and world AI models.
"Understanding which technologies are approaching a true inflection point requires access to the best available evidence and expertise,” said Frederick Fenter, chief editor for Frontiers, adding that open and transparent scientific research helped to make such a report possible.
"That shared foundation is critical for identifying and developing innovations that can deliver lasting societal benefit."
The 14th edition of the emerging technologies report was released on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of of the New Champions, taking place in Dalian, China.
The theme of this year's meeting, "Innovating at Scale", explores how innovation and novel technologies could "unlock new growth models" while also helping to sustain momentum for positive economic growth "in a rapidly evolving global landscape”.
