7 key trends in tech 2024

When startups are under pressure to choose profitability over growth, it is easy to miss the power of the digital transformation that is underway. Tech is increasingly permeating our human existence. AI is the clearest example. What is essentially happening?

Read about the important trends in 2024 – and what role Gothenburg plays on the global tech scene.

Gothenburg’s Tech Innovations: Trends to Follow in 2024

Almost every part of our lives is affected by what we call tech – mainly exposed to us in our smartphones. Technology today is colouring our everyday lives and raising productivity in our workplaces to completely new levels. Transportation is becoming more efficient, safer and smarter. We will have easier access to food and medical care. Physical distances are no longer an obstacle. Tech services also affect how we learn; all information is close at hand. Many of us also experience AI-powered assistance as increasingly helpful.

A prerequisite for the radical development of tech is the digitalized world, equipped with enormous computing power and ultra-fast wireless communication. Everything is now data. It has accelerated data-driven, software-based innovation in all areas of life. And turns entire industries upside down.

Research and innovation efforts are in full swing around the world to design solutions with high demand. Not least in the Gothenburg region, which has a strong position on the global tech scene, especially in business-to-business, B2B. Here you will find a highly interesting combination of well-established, advanced industrial companies and a rich flora of technology-driven startups and scaleups. There are also cutting-edge innovation environments, strong academy and lots of test beds where different types of actors easily can collaborate and quickly drive development forward. In Gothenburg, hardware and software have long been developed hand-in-hand to create globally demanded goods and services.

So, what's in focus right now? In which areas will Gothenburg make the biggest difference? 

Here are seven important trends to keep an eye on in 2024.

1. Connected vehicles – fully controlled by software 
2. Health tech – unleashing the power of technology in healthcare
3. AI – everyone wants to benefit from intelligence
4. Digital twins – of the body, the city and everything else
5. Deep tech – will solve the big challenges
6. Quantum computers – a fascinating revolution around the corner
7. 6G – making the digital world seamless with ours

1. Connected vehicles – fully controlled by software 

Imagine a future where drivers essentially ride along in autonomous, zero-emission vehicles. Also in city traffic. And where passenger traffic and transport – in suitable environments – take place completely driverless. Where mobility is mainly about services. 

We are talking about smart mobility where the vehicles are computers on wheels, completely controlled by software. Largely via the cloud. Accidents no longer happen because fleets are serviced by a network of powerful computers fed by sensors, cameras and radar on vehicles and on the roads. Exhaust fumes from fossil fuels are a thing of the past. Goods are moved efficiently, without burdening the environment. It sounds like a utopia. But is about to happen. 

Gothenburg has a uniquely strong position in smart mobility, even by global standards. With its 100-year automotive history, the city has a complete automotive value chain, characterized by the progressive corporations Volvo Group and Geely-owned Volvo Cars. But around them, there is a great deal of dynamism and breadth – among subcontractors, in AI and software-based services, and in other modes of transport. 

Safe and fast connection of vehicles has become fundamental; this has long been a Gothenburg specialty. Not least through the commitment of telecom giant Ericsson and operator Telia and the collaboration within Telematics Valley. 

But smart mobility today drives many forms of tech in Gothenburg: from hardware, systems and a completely new battery industry to Internet-of-Things, large data-driven cloud services, machine learning, all kinds of software development, optimization, cybersecurity and consulting services. Most companies in the cluster strive to contribute to sustainable mobility. 

Nvidia, one of the world's most valuable companies, and the vehicle radar company Luminar have established themselves in Gothenburg – the tech city that now attracts talent from all over the world. The ecosystem also creates opportunities for new innovative companies to grow and expand internationally, such as electric car manufacturer Polestar, cloud services company WirelessCar and logistics innovator Einride. The Chinese automotive group Geely has made Gothenburg its most important European development centre.

Further proof of the city's strength in tech is that the world's two largest truck companies have chosen Gothenburg as their base for developing tomorrow's IT platform for heavy vehicles – both software and hardware. Volvo Group and Daimler Truck expect to be able to set an international standard with their solution, much like Google Auto works for passenger cars. One explanation: West Sweden's leadership in road safety.

Dive into Seven Trends in Mobility and Transportation

2. Health tech – unleashing the power of technology in healthcare

New technology has great potential to support and streamline healthcare. The needs are almost endless. Huge investments are therefore being made worldwide. Health tech has great potential to create a significantly better experience for the patient, achieve more accurate and efficient care – and at the same time reduce costs. Advanced technologies such as biotechnology and AI also facilitate the hunt for completely new treatments and drugs.

What makes Gothenburg particularly interesting in the growing field of health tech is the combination of an advanced export industry and tech sector with an equally strong life science sector, where AstraZeneca and Sahlgrenska University Hospital are two central, resourceful players. Academically, the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers contribute with comprehensive breadth, deep collaboration and a strong innovation culture. Chalmers educates engineers in medical technology and has research focuses on biomedical engineering, medical imaging, biomaterials, diagnostic tools and e-health.

3. AI – everyone wants to benefit from intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been in our consciousness ever since the malicious computer Hal took over the spaceship in the science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odessy half a century ago. But it is only now – after OpenAI's breakthrough with ChatGPT – that everyone understands the power of the technology. 

We see how both generative and applied AI are being put to practical use in almost every sector, every industry, every research area. The development is explosive. Expertise in AI is the world's most demanded competence, according to analysis from McKinsey.

A main reason behind these pioneers is of course Chalmers University of Technology, one of the strongest technical universities in the Nordic region. Another: that large, research-intensive companies such as AstraZeneca, Volvo and Saab closely follow AI developments, invest in and buy innovative AI. Ericsson uses AI extensively to control its networks. Volvo Cars' subsidiary in autonomous driving, Zenseact, is probably Sweden's largest AI company. 

Sharp AI expertise and large customers have attracted additional companies to Gothenburg over the past decade, especially in the mobility sector. CEVT was established in 2013 and is now renamed Zeekr Technology Europe. It is one of the Geely Group's most important development centres, and thus an important gateway for Chinese AI know-how. Indian giant groups such as HCL, Infosys and L&T Technology Services have also established themselves in the city. German Understand.AI recently opened at Lindholmen, as did Apex AI from Silicon Valley. The electric scooter company Voi also utilizes AI to a large extent and has development in Gothenburg. In other sectors, at least two Californian companies have opened development offices in the city, Apple and the San Francisco company DocuSign, a world leader in digital signatures. 

In the city's strong innovation environments, there are a variety of exciting AI-based start-ups. Two to mention are Embedl, which specializes in deep learning in industry, and Sightic Analytics, which uses machine learning and eye reading to detect drugged drivers. AI know-how is an important enabler in health tech.

4. Digital twins – of the body, the city and everything else 

The idea of creating virtual twins of the physical world is pretty much a given in tech and has been around for a long time. But it's not easy. The idea is driven furthest through the concept of smart industry (Industry 4.0 and 5.0), especially in Germany, and through large industrial suppliers such as Siemens, PTC and Dassault Systèmes – all operating in Gothenburg. 

Smart industry is about making production and processes smart and well-oiled by taking advantage of data from machines that communicate via the internet-of-things (IoT), being able to calculate and control in real time, and utilizing additive manufacturing (3D printers) and autonomous robots. The Stena Industry Innovation Lab, SII-Lab, is an important test arena. 

The mining and automotive industries are leading adopters of smart industry, according to a survey by the Swedish bearing company SKF, which is itself at the forefront together with the Volvo Group. This also includes visualizations and simulations to better see, analyse and understand the outcomes of various decisions. Also, digital twins of processes and entire factories. 

Central to a digital twin is the permanent connection to physical reality. Authentic data from real objects is digitally mirrored in the twin, and preferably in real time. This is a prerequisite for creating real benefit. 

Here, Gothenburg is at the forefront of Europe. The city's collected data – about houses, roads, trees and green areas, pipes and so on – is continuously fed into a virtual twin that can be experienced visually in several different ways already today. Gothenburg's digital twin covers 800 square kilometres in high resolution. 

Virtual Gothenburg is used to model future energy needs, visualize the effects of a warmer climate and soon also as a guide for visitors. Traffic can be simulated, as well as planned urban development and new traffic solutions. You can study noise, air quality, sun and shade. 

The work is being done in close collaboration with the Digital Twin Cities Centre at Chalmers and the Visual Arena at Lindholmen Science Park. Experiments are underway to add more and more real-time data from flows of various kinds, such as people, vehicles, goods and energy. And from the weather. Later, it will be possible to use artificial intelligence. 

This is exactly what analytics firm McKinsey sees as a general trend: that generative AI and digital twins together can revolutionize the way organizations operate. Generative artificial intelligence can structure the digital twin's input and interpret its output in a powerful way. A digital twin can be a robust test and learning environment for generative AI. 

The same combination, of digital twins and AI, could be the key to safe autonomous driving. Vehicle manufacturers – including Volvo companies – are therefore building large data hubs to collect data from their connected fleets of vehicles, but also information from infrastructure and satellites. Primarily to learn, simulate traffic and develop ever better traffic safety solutions. But also, to be able to gradually move functions to the cloud that better belong there. 

Gothenburg is well placed to take the concept of a smart city to the next level. The benefits of having access to urban digital twins are obvious to anyone involved in urban mobility. But also, for all the forces that are grappling with global challenges such as achieving climate neutrality, circular economy, increased security and better health.

5. Deep tech – will solve the big challenges

Don't feel stressed if you don't know exactly what deep tech is. The term is new and is still used with some variation. But these are new crucial scientific discoveries or significant innovations. Deep tech researchers and companies are trying to solve big challenges that really can change the world: brand new therapies to fight cancer, data analytics that help farmers increase their yields, or new clean energy sources that reduce humanity's carbon footprint.

The business ideas in this context are often preliminary. Just like the companies themselves, they may need to be cultivated and tested to grow strong over a longer period.

Gothenburg is a deep tech hot spot. Chalmers Ventures and GU Ventures are two of the Nordic region's leading investors in deep tech and venture creation. High potential ideas from academia are combined with entrepreneurial teams and meet the market at an early stage.

Several companies have been sold and are now robust players by their own right. Some examples are LumenRadio, which replaces cables with radio communication in buildings and industries,  the AI-specialized cybersecurity company Omen technologies,  and Vehco, now Addsecure, which builds smart solutions to manage logistics and fleets of freight vehicles. Cellink supplies biological ink to print living tissue, Surgical Science offers surgeons training in simulators.

Deeptech companies need a fertile environment to be able to grow strong, and often exclusive resources. Expertise, experience in establishing similar B2B businesses, enduring investors and resourceful customers. And not least: advanced labs and test beds. Gothenburg offers all of this. It is also famous for its culture of constructive collaboration. 

6. Quantum computers – a fascinating revolution around the corner

The excitement surrounding our emerging ability to master the quantum world is easy to understand. Extremely powerful and fast quantum computers have already begun to prove superior to today's best supercomputers for certain tasks. They are predicted to be able to solve currently unsolvable optimization problems, calculate the properties of large molecules and identify new materials and drugs. In seconds or minutes.

But not only that. Imagine being able to find out what's hiding far beneath our feet, predict volcanic eruptions, see around corners, and map brain activity in the smallest detail. This is possible with extremely sensitive quantum sensors. Cracking all of today's encryptions is further away but will be possible. On the other hand, communication between quantum particles instead promises new, interception-proof encryption solutions. 

The development of quantum computers is taking place in several places around the world. Gothenburg is one of them. At Chalmers University of Technology, the twelve-year SEK 1 billion investment Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology is underway. The main project is to develop and build a Swedish quantum computer that can solve problems far beyond the reach of today's best supercomputers. The power lies in controlling the superpositions of the qubits, which also require completely new kinds of software. But research is also being done on quantum communication and quantum sensors. 

Through Chalmers Next Labs, a handful of large companies (Saab, AstraZeneca, Ericsson, Jeppesen, Volvo Group, Hitachi Energy) have access to a copy of the Chalmers researchers' quantum computer for their own experiments, as well as to IBM's quantum computers. In parallel, the innovation platform QSIP supports the growth of a Swedish quantum industry.

The experts and the cleanroom lab in Gothenburg have laid the foundation for several deeptech companies in the field. Scalinq develops chips that are needed in Chalmers' type of quantum computers. Low Noise Factory designs and produces low-noise microwave amplifiers for quantum computers, among other things. Atlantic Quantum is backed by American capital and has the ambition to build the world's best commercial quantum computer.

7. 6G – making the digital world seamless with ours

A prerequisite for all digitalization and increasingly advanced tech is stable wireless communication. Gothenburg has been a leader here for decades, in fact, for over a century. 

The port city of Gothenburg became a central point in Swedish radio communication early on, due to shipping. Onsala Space Observatory was established after World War II, and Chalmers is today a major contributor to the world's foremost radio telescopes and satellites. 

The know-how of antennas, amplifiers and microwaves in Gothenburg has been crucial for the telecom company Ericsson's  development into the world's leading supplier of mobile systems, all the way to 5G. In Gothenburg, Saab is developing systems for secure communication between military vehicles, aircraft and ships, and Beyond Gravity components for communication satellites – for both civilian and military purposes.

It is therefore not surprising that fast and secure connectivity is characteristic of Swedish-developed vehicles in general, which is reflected in software development. Volvo On Call was introduced back in 2001. Telia and Ericsson today offer a first-class 5G corridor in the Gothenburg area, fully dedicated to autonomous driving and future transport services. Ericsson ONE is a hub for innovation in connected services. 

Chalmers University of Technology and the City of Gothenburg also offer a joint test bed in smart cities and urban twins. Here, the next generation of wireless infrastructure is very interesting: 6G. 

The technology is still under development and 6G is expected to start rolling out around 2030. Ericsson, Nokia and the competence center Witech at Chalmers are all part of the EU's flagship initiative Hexa-X,  which will pave the way for the next generation of telecom. No standard has yet been set due to tensions between the US and China. But Chalmers already educates engineers with the appropriate skills.

6G will be able to handle up to 1000 times higher data speed than 5G and have significantly shorter latency. The transmission capacity will be superior. It paves the way for exciting wireless AI capabilities that require extremely fast response times and real-time computations, as well as IoT on a whole new scale. 

Two expanding Gothenburg companies are particularly interested in 6G development. One is Qualisys, a supplier of motion captioning and positioning for many different types of users, in many industries, and but also Satcube, which provides satellite-connected broadband terminals for crisis operations. 

The 6G networks are likely to consume less energy and integrate with satellite communications to provide truly global coverage and leave no user behind. Cyber security will increase and may be strengthened by quantum encryption. In terms of frequency, we are now moving from microwaves up to the terahertz band, beyond 100 GHz. More computing power will be needed at the edge of the networks, so-called edge computing.

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