Top 10 Technology trends for 2004
Ajay Gannerkote, Evening MBA ajaysg@umich.edu
Issue date: 2/9/04 Section: Technology
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Is it Nanotechnology? Is it RFID? What is the hottest technology that is going to rock the industry next? A lot of people within the business and technology community are asking this question. Here are what a lot of pundits in the analyst community are saying regarding this year's top 10 technologies:
Nanotechnology focuses on particles one nanometer in size. At this size, particles exhibit special properties and can be manipulated to dramatically change the way materials are currently used. Airplanes could be made much lighter, newer medical devices can be developed, etc. This is an area where a lot of businesses and entrepreneurs are currently betting large.
Universal Translations: With the workforce becoming more diverse and companies going more global, knowledge management is becoming a key differentiator. For knowledge management to be successful, presentation of knowledge in different languages (not just syntactic translation) is essential. Several researchers and software vendors and investing significantly in this technology
Synthetic Biology is the science of manipulating cellular systems and controlling their behavior. While ethical debates of stem cell research continue, cell engineering and manipulating cell behavior is becoming increasingly useful in curing ailments such as cancer. Action in this area is happening in research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies (both large and entrepreneurial).
Grid Computing is the science of spreading one's computing needs across a large base of computing systems connected through the Internet. People familiar with SETI and its search for terrestrial life are familiar with a small application on your computer processing signals from remote stars and planets. Abundance of computers and computing systems in the business world has led companies to start thinking of how this massive unused computing power can be used in their low-time to process information. Companies such as Oracle and IBM have invested significant amounts of their time and money in porting their database systems on to this technology.
Nanotechnology focuses on particles one nanometer in size. At this size, particles exhibit special properties and can be manipulated to dramatically change the way materials are currently used. Airplanes could be made much lighter, newer medical devices can be developed, etc. This is an area where a lot of businesses and entrepreneurs are currently betting large.
Universal Translations: With the workforce becoming more diverse and companies going more global, knowledge management is becoming a key differentiator. For knowledge management to be successful, presentation of knowledge in different languages (not just syntactic translation) is essential. Several researchers and software vendors and investing significantly in this technology
Synthetic Biology is the science of manipulating cellular systems and controlling their behavior. While ethical debates of stem cell research continue, cell engineering and manipulating cell behavior is becoming increasingly useful in curing ailments such as cancer. Action in this area is happening in research laboratories and pharmaceutical companies (both large and entrepreneurial).
Grid Computing is the science of spreading one's computing needs across a large base of computing systems connected through the Internet. People familiar with SETI and its search for terrestrial life are familiar with a small application on your computer processing signals from remote stars and planets. Abundance of computers and computing systems in the business world has led companies to start thinking of how this massive unused computing power can be used in their low-time to process information. Companies such as Oracle and IBM have invested significant amounts of their time and money in porting their database systems on to this technology.
