The Strategist

2020 tech trends: Electric bicycles and 5G networks



12/12/2019 - 09:38



Consulting and auditing company Deloitte presented a report by TMT Predictions 2020, dedicated to the main tech and media trends for 2020. The company’s analysts believe that in 2020, we will see the rapid development of satellite Internet, the massive introduction of AI chips into gadgets and the introduction of private 5G networks.



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Speaking about the development of AI, the company believes that in 2020, sales of chips working with AI technologies will amount to about 750 million units, totaling $ 2.6 billion, which is twice as much as Deloitte predicted in 2017. By 2024, sales of AI chips will reach 1.5 billion, while their cost to consumers will continue to decline.

The robot manufacturing industry will show a 20 percent growth, including thanks to the development of the Internet of Things and 5G networks.

Speaking of 5G networks, Deloitte predicts a surge in the popularity of fifth-generation private networks.

Analysts believe that in 2020, more than 100 companies around the world will begin to deploy their private 5G networks, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in it. It is noted that, unlike 5G public networks, private networks can be configured to the specific needs of their users, depending on the type of their activity and the profile of the company or organization.

It is not surprising that the higher availability of mobile Internet in all parts of the Earth stimulates a new round of development of gadgets, including smartphones. Deloitte believes that global smartphone sales in 2020 will grow by 15%, reaching $ 460 billion. However, given the sales of other elements of the smartphone ecosystem (infrastructure, peripherals, wearable devices, software, services, etc.), the total market will reach $ 900 billion, thus approaching the symbolic mark of $ 1 trillion.

In its report, the company notes that the development of technology also stimulates the development of such a seemingly unexpected segment as bicycles.

Many analysts, as well as the authorities of some countries and cities, consider bicycles one of the best alternatives to personal transport in megacities that suffer from traffic jams. Deloitte experts believe that high-tech companies will want to take advantage of this trend and will begin to introduce processes such as 3D printing (spare parts, components, accessories, etc.) into applications for bicycle production, applications for constructing optimal routes for cycling, development of bicycle path maps.

A sharp surge in the popularity of electric technology in bicycle production is also forecasted, which should attract even more people to cycling.

Thanks to the development of more compact and capacious lithium-ion batteries, while reducing the cost of their production, Deloitte believes that a total of about 130 million electric bicycles will be sold in 2020–2023. At the same time, sales of electric vehicles will lag behind - Deloitte notes that only 5 million electric vehicles are currently operating in the world, and this figure will reach 12 million units by 2025.

source: deloitte.com