74 REAL-LEADERS.COM / SUMMER 2022 LEADING LEADERS 76 MONEY 77 CLIMATE ACTION 78 SOCIAL IMPACT 74 INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY 79 INVESTING Innovation & Technology 4 Ways Technology Could Change the World by 2025 It’s exciting to see the pace and transformative potential of today’s innovative technologies applied to solve the world’s most pressing problems, such as feeding a global and growing population; improving access to and quality of healthcare; and significantly reducing carbon emissions to arrest the negative effects of climate change. Here are four predictions from CEOs on what could emerge over the next three years. What’s-next economies,getting future-ready,and visionary thinking 1. A New Era of Computing Thomas Monz, CEO, Alpine Quantum Technologies By 2025, quantum computing will have outgrown its infancy, and a first generation of commercial devices will tackle meaningful, real-world problems. One major application of this new kind of computer will be the simulation of complex chemical reactions, a powerful tool that opens new avenues in drug development. Quantum chemistry calculations will also aid in the design of novel materials with desired properties, for instance better catalysts for the automotive industry that curb emissions and help fight climate change. Right now, the development of pharmaceuticals and performance materials relies massively on trial and error, which means it is an iterative, time-consuming, and terribly expensive process. Quantum computers may soon change this. They will significantly shorten product development cycles and reduce the costs for R&D. 2. Robotic Retail Jose Aguerrevere, CEO, Takeoff Technologies Historically, robotics has turned around many industries, while a few select sectors — such as grocery retail — have remained largely untouched. With the use of a new robotics application called micro-fulfillment, grocery retailing will no longer look the same. The use of robotics downstream at a hyper-local level (as opposed to the traditional upstream application in the supply chain) will disrupt this 100-year-old, $5 trillion industry, and all its stakeholders will experience significant change. Retailers will operate at a higher order of magnitude on productivity, which will in turn result in positive and enticing returns in the online grocery business (unheard of at the moment). This technology also unlocks broader access to food and a better customer proposition to consumers at large: speed, product availability, and cost. Micro-fulfillment centers are located in existing (and typically less productive) real estate at the store level and can operate 5—10% more cheaply than a brick-and-mortar store. We predict that value will be equally captured by retailers and consumers online.
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