Global ICT trends: Switzerland is not keeping up everywhere
Technology trends are on the rise worldwide. The Swiss economy invests very differently depending on the sector - and not always in line with global trends. 26 percent of all investments flow into the "enabler" technology cloud. This is shown in the study "Swico House View 2020".
The study "Swico House View 2020" provides interesting insights into the state of digitization in Switzerland: The industries invest in almost all technologies. However, they place different emphases. "The industries are making very targeted investments," says Judith Bellaiche, Managing Director of Swico, the trade association for the ICT and online industry. "Cloud is the real game changer. - Around 26 percent of all investments flow into cloud technology. Cloud enables the digitization of Switzerland, so to speak," she continues. The information and communications technology sector (9 percent) and financial services providers and insurance companies (9 percent) invest the most in cloud. Transport and logistics and public administration also rely heavily on cloud projects, with 8 percent each.
Potential of the platforms recognized
Another ICT trend is "platforms": Around 19 percent of all current projects of the Swico members surveyed are based on platform technology. The financial services and insurance industry recorded the most projects (12 percent), followed by public administration (10 percent) and information and communications technology (9 percent). "The service industries have recognized that platforms offer enormous potential," Bellaiche comments.
Global ICT trends do not always coincide with Switzerland
A comparison with global growth trends shows: Switzerland is not investing in all technologies in sync with the rest of the world. "We are lagging behind in certain technology trends," says Bellaiche. For her, the study also shows where industries need to catch up: "Individual industries - agriculture, for example - are still making far too little use of the opportunities offered by digitization," Bellaiche is convinced.
Switzerland lags behind in IoT and Big Data
Overall, growing sales are forecast in the coming years for all eight technology trends examined. Most impressive is the huge volume of "Internet of Things" with over 800 billion US dollars in 2020. In Switzerland, "Internet of Things" accounts for 11 percent of the pie.
Switzerland also lags slightly behind in "Big Data": After "Cloud" in third place worldwide, "Big Data" is (still) in fourth place in this country. According to the study, however, "big data" will gain in importance: In 2021, global spending on Big Data solutions is already expected to amount to 231 billion US dollars (2018: 164 billion US dollars). This represents a doubling since 2015, with growth driven by rapid advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence. In Switzerland, the energy and transport sectors, the medical sector, Industry 4.0 application industries, financial services, telecommunications, and agriculture are particularly promising in terms of short- to medium-term market potential.
"Augmented reality" is becoming increasingly important
An above-average growth trend is evident in the global market for augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies: Here, the growth rate is expected to increase tenfold in the next three years, as shown by the approach of a veritable "field hockey stick" (see graphic on global development).
In Switzerland, the mechanical engineering and vehicle construction sectors, as well as transport and logistics, are the main users of augmented reality. The technology trend "Blockchain" is by far the most frequently used by financial services and insurance, followed by services. "Cognitive Computing" (AI) is again most frequently used by financial services and insurance, ICT, and transport and logistics.
Source and further information: www.swico.ch
