Technology is always changing and we can expect all sorts of new initiatives to take place in the next five years that will change how we live. We looked across all the top technology publications and below are some of the most interesting top technology trends we see coming in the next several years.

Expansion Of The Metaverse

We have been reading a great deal about the software development of the Metaverse and what the new Facebook initiative could look like in a few years. While it isn’t yet possible to live in the Metaverse, we think in five years, it will possible to fully immerse yourself there.

Right now, the Metaverse is where the World Wide Web was in the mid-90s. Many people believe once it advances and improves, the Metaverse will have a revolutionary digital impact on us like the Internet did. It’s expected this will forever change how we socialize, work, and live, and organizations that don’t adapt to the Metaverse will be wiped out.

Virtual and Augmented Realiy

Augmented reality and virtual reality are two sides of the metaverse. Augmented reality could increase advertising space in the real world with new special glasses. Virtual reality would in itself create a whole new digital area for advertising. The technology still has some catching up to do until it could be considered one of the rapidly emerging technologies.

wearing vr goggles

The big driver of the Metaverse experience is gaming trends. As the Metaverse’s technical capabilities grow, more games will be available there that completely immerse you in the experience. And that life-changing experience is what will make people move to the Metaverse. This also begs the question: what is reality? And, will virtual reality take over the real world? Real estate in metaverse is a trend within the reality environment. Put on your glasses to see your virtual real estate mansions. Booming real estate businesses within the virtual environment are fresh and new.

So, why is the Metaverse part of the tech trends? It could be summarized with this one point: we could eventually get to the point where people live most of their lives in the Metaverse. The expansion of the Metaverse is one of the bigger technology trends.

Edge Computing

One of the major concerns for many organizations today is the lag that can affect trends in in how operations are managed. That is why many industries are concentrating on how efficient and responsive computers are so data can be analyzed as quickly as possible. This is where edge computing comes into the picture.

Edge computing brings computer processes and data storage technology closer to organizations and reduces response times and lowers the amount of bandwidth used.

Some advantages of edge technology that we will see in the future trends are:

  • Boosts cybersecurity to a new level by reducing problems with privacy regulations, local compliance, and the sovereignty of data. While many think that edge computing makes the possibility of cyberattacks more likely, the truth is that it reduces the impact on the organization if an attack occurs.
  • Computer speed will increase dramatically with edge computing as it reduces latency. For instance, self-driving cars need faster computer processes because every fraction of a second the vehicle is moving is critical. Data analysis is limited to the edge, so processing speeds can be massively accelerated.
  • Reduces the cost of keeping the data by categorizing it according to a management point of view. Data can be kept on locations on the edge so it reduces the cost of bandwidth.

How can your companies use edge computing? How can the adoption to this new technology created global strategic innovations of the decade? Greater growth in data and analytics for industries following these new technologies is certain.

Edge computing is another one of the very promising technology trends of 2022.

Drones

Many people think drones will be much more common by upcoming trends in 2024 and 2025. Right now, drones are mainly used only by videographers and photographers. But soon, trends say drone technology will be cheap enough that a lot of people will want to own them. And with improved technology, they will be able to be flown for many hours at a time without a recharge.

agriculture, drone, dji agriculture

Drones also will not require permission from the government in the next few years, so they could be used for more things. For instance, trends say drones may be used more to find people or animals that are lost. There also could be more use of drones to deliver consumer goods. Drones could also be used as part of connected devices too. Connecting and remotely controlling a drone from a phone, or other digital device is not even a future trend anymore.

There will be a time soon when none of us can go through a day without seeing a drone. Distributed swarm drones may fly across neighborhoods and cities delivering packages, food, and more. This leaves room for new companies, business, and technologies to help fuel this trend. Think about how there might be a need the future of mailboxes to have drones deliver. Adoption requires a new stream of future technology and companies too.

Recreation drones are getting more advanced too! We made a list of the best drones that our experts found from across the internet.

While drones have been around for awhile, their use cases are expanding rapidly, making them another big leader in technology trends.

Blockchain

Many of us only think about blockchain technology in terms of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Bitcoin. However, blockchain technology offers many types of security that are beneficial in other areas.

Blockchain is data that only can be added to and cannot be taken from or changed. Because the digital data cannot be changed, it makes it extremely secure. Also, blockchain sotware is driven by consensus so no one person or organization controls the data. Blockchain means there isn’t a third-party gatekeeper keeping control of the transactions or the total software.

blockchain technologies

Adoption of Blockchain Businesses Models and Services

Blockchain will also create new business models that have not been thought about. With increased ownership over new digital world organizations, products and services can be created and sold in unique ways.

Blockchain is one of the technology trends that is ever-expanding into digital use cases from finance to healthcare to beyond. This is an emerging technology in the digital world.

AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) will grow by leaps and bounds in the next few years. Recently, the idea of AI technology has advanced as researchers and data scientists have found more innovative ways to use the tech trend.

We think one area that will expand rapidly for Artificial Intelligence (AI) is for consumers. A great example of this is the Teak Smart Cube – an AI driven power adapter designed to help users save on energy bills. The teak outlet is a breakthrough technology trends that is utilizing versatile hardware and smart software to turn the energy consumers of today into conservers of tomorrow. With AI and a clever hardware design, it will make your home smarter, energy bill smaller, and the planet greener. A growing worry of AI replacing human jobs will increase in the next decade. Human beings will need to resort to what we do best with emotions and creativity. This will be the decade of robot and human interaction and collaboration. Both a decade of fear and promise for the human generation.

data flow

Machine Learning

A major contributor to the development of machine learning technology is the advancement of chip design and access to data. Computing power has grown enormously. Data has become the new business currency. Trends say the future of many industries is connected with data and access to data. Smart sensors build data, as machine learning algorithms utilize it to learn like a human would. The development of data is not cheap, though. That is why the internet of things can help aid in the access of data. How can these new analytics boost our understanding of the world and business? This trend and other technologies all weave together in this day and age.

Machine learning and Artificial intelligence are technology trends that will not go away anytime soon.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing trends will only get bigger in the coming years as more organizations large and small put their data in the cloud and stop relying on local servers. We can expect a large transition to cloud computing in the next five years in many organizations, businesses, and industries.

There also will be more advances in alternatives to cloud computing, including edge computing (which we detail on this list) and fog computing. Fog computing bypasses the challenges with cloud computing technology not being able to process massive amounts of data in a short time.

Fog computing moves every function the network’s edge so speeds are much faster. Cloud computing, and third-party cloud computing, is one of the technology trends carried on from the last six years,

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA, like machine learning and AI, is another emerging top technology trend that will automate many jobs. RPA involves the use of software to automate routine business processes including processing technologies, interpreting applications, manipulating data, and even answering texts and emails. RPA technology will essentially automate common tasks that people once did by hand.

3D Printing

Advanced 3d printing is another item within this realm of emerging technologies, 3d printing poses the question: can you manufacture without the heavy manufacturing processes normally required? Robotic process automation in 3d printing technology might make manufacturing things as simple as asking a machine for a part. Many of the global trends have a trend within a trend, making it important for the business world to adopt these top trends.

Some sources estimate that the emerging technology robotic process automation will threaten the jobs of more than 200 million people and up to 9% of the workforce around the globe. RPA, however, also will create new technology jobs, and it is believed that most jobs can only be partially automated, not entirely replaced.

Tech professionals who want to learn the ins and outs of RPA will find jobs as RPA developers, analysts, and architects. Robotic process automation is a massive upcoming part of future technology trends.

5G

No list of emerging top technology trends is ever complete without talking about 5G. This is the new generation standard in mobile comms that offers faster speeds and reduced latency. This is great news because so many of us use our phones all the time to live our busy lives.

Of course, 5G networks have been developed for many years. But now, with current technologies, the networks are starting to go online and 5G is offering much faster speeds on mobile devices and Internet connections are more reliable. The smart 5G networks are going to expand the internet of things.

IoT Devices

With so much more wireless bandwidth available, it’s possible for more IoT devices to connect with each other. There also will be more possibilities in the future for self-driving vehicles and even smart cities. All of these things will be made possible by much faster wireless data transfers with 5G networks. With the role-out of 5G around the country, 5G technology takes a place as one of the top technology trends of 2022.

Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is a type of computing that uses quantum principles including quantum entanglement and superposition. This intriguing science trend in technology is also part of preventing the spread of viruses and developing new vaccines. These things are possible with quantum computing because of the ease of monitoring, querying, and acting on data, no matter the source. What does that say about our personal data and how it is utilized, though?

Quantum computing technology also should be of use in the future trends in finance and banking to reduce credit risk and detect fraud. Its effect on science is another related trend for the software. Think, expanded science can mean expanded industry and growth.

Quantum computers are now much faster than conventional computers and large brands of computers are now making significant advances in quantum computing. The quick advance of quantum computing has granted a big spot as part of the top technology trends of 2022. Does your business want to invest in a quantum computer?

This list of top technology trends in the next several years shows how much technology changes in a short time. While all of these technologies are still relatively early in their lifecycles, we can expect that they will continue to improve and evolve in the next five years.

By the time another five years passes, it’s hard to imagine how much more advanced technology trends will be but we are sure it will be impressive!

Nate Nead

Nate Nead is the CEO & Managing Member of Nead, LLC, a consulting company that provides strategic advisory services across multiple disciplines including finance, marketing and software development. For over a decade Nate had provided strategic guidance on M&A, capital procurement, technology and marketing solutions for some of the most well-known online brands. He and his team advise Fortune 500 and SMB clients alike. The team is based in Seattle, Washington; El Paso, Texas and West Palm Beach, Florida.