According to WalkMe analysts, business owners would be most interested in investing in 5G, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. The USA ranks as the country that’s investing most in all types of digital technology, and China ranks as the second-most-active investor, in majority of cases.
WalkMe, an American developer of digital adoption solutions for business, analyzed recent data to find out which high-technology industries business owners are most interested in and which countries are investing the most in these technologies (the analysis has also been reviewed by the Kommersant newspaper).
5G ranks as the most investment-attractive option, with 32.9 % of respondents interested in investing. The Internet of Things ranks second (21.9 %). Artificial intelligence (AI) ranks third (14.5 %), followed by biometrics (12.7 %), quantum computing (8 %), immersive tech, that is, augmented reality technologies, such as VR, AR, etc. (6.6 %), and distributed ledger technology (i.e., blockchain, 3.3 %).
WalkMe analysts surveyed 1,300 British business owners, keen to find out which high technologies look most promising to people who already run their own business. Also, the authors of the study analyzed data from the Digital Future Index 2021–2022, a report created last year by Digital Catapult, the British government innovation agency for the digital and software industry.
WalkMe analyzed which countries are investing most in each of the four technologies, that is, AI, immersive technology, the Internet of Things and blockchain technology. The United States turned out to be the most active investor, ranking first for all the categories.
What the United States has invested most in is AI ($93.6 bln). The USA has also spent $15.5 bln on immersive technology, $20.6 bln on the Internet of Things, and $11.7 bln on blockchain.
China ranks second for three of the four categories, having invested $44.6 bln in AI, $2.1 bln in immersive technology, and $5 bln in the Internet of Things. The United Kingdom ranks second only for blockchain investments ($2.1 bln).
The top 5 AI investors also include the United Kingdom ($9.5 bln), Israel ($4.6 bln) and Canada ($4 bln). The United Kingdom ranks third for immersive technology investments ($777 mln), followed by Israel ($444 mln) and Switzerland ($432 mln). The top 5 IoT investors include Japan ($3.1 bln), the United Kingdom ($2.2 bln) and Israel ($1.1 bln). Finally, the top 5 blockchain investors include China ($2 bln), Switzerland ($1.3 bln) and Singapore ($1.1 bln).
In 2021, venture investments in high-tech startups totaled $643 bln, marking 92 % growth year over year, Crunchbasedata shows. North America remains the largest region for funding, having invested more than a half of all dollars ($330 bln). It is followed by Asia, with $165 bln invested.
Funding to Latin America’s startups grew the most, with more than 300 % year-over-year growth, which is, however, a relatively modest $19.6 bln investment. Venture funding to European startups grew by 150 %, with $116 bln invested.
The analysts of Investment Monitor, part of Global Data Media, highlighted ten investment-attractive areas to watch in 2022. The list includes AI, quantum computing and 5G, similarly to the WalkMe list. The metaverse, cloud computing, cloud gaming, fintech, cryptocurrency, robotics, electric vehicles, and batteries are other areas selected by Investment Monitor.
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5292354
