WEB PBS JAN 18

BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT
“Bits n
Bytes”
STEVE DICKENS
AS IS TRADITIONAL AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, WE LOOK IN TO OUR MAGIC
BOX TO TRY AND PREDICT WHAT THE FUTURE HIGH LIGHTS OF NEXT
YEARS TECHNOLOGY MIGHT BE, AND HERE ARE OUR TOP 4:
Trend 1: Exponential growth
in computing power is fueling
massive tech advances
None of this incredible growth in
data, nor the billions of IoT devices
available, would be possible without
the enormous leaps in computing
power that we’ve made. Between
1975 and 2015, computing power
doubled at a rate of every two
years, before slowing to the current
rate of approximately every two
and a half years.
But we’re reaching the limits of
what traditional computing power
can handle. However, the latest
quantum computing will see computers
become millions of times
faster than they are right now.
Trend 2: The incredible rise of
artificial intelligence (AI)
Computers are now able to learn
in much the same way as we humans
do, and this leap in AI capabilities
has been made possible
by the massive increases in data
and computing power. It’s the incredible
explosion in data that has
allowed AI to advance so quickly
over the last couple of years; the
more data an AI system has, the
quicker it can learn and the more
accurate it becomes.
This huge step forward in AI mean
computers can now undertake
more and more human tasks. In
fact, it’s AI that allows computers
to see (e.g. facial recognition soft-
ware), read (e.g. analyzing social
media messages), listen (e.g. Alexa
standing by to answer your every
command), speak (e.g. Alexa being
able to answer you) and gauge
our emotions (e.g. affective computing).
Trend 3: 3D printing opens up
amazing opportunities for manufacturers
(and others)
Related to increasing automation,
the invention of 3D printing
is disrupting manufacturing, and
other industries, in many positive
ways. In traditional (subtractive)
manufacturing, objects are cut or
hollowed out of material, such as
metal, using something like a cutting
tool. But in 3D printing (also
known as additive manufacturing),
the object is created by laying
down, or adding, layers of material.
The materials used in 3D printing
can be pretty much anything: plastic,
metal, concrete, liquid, powder,
even chocolate or human tissue!
With 3D printing, far more complex
shapes can be created than in
traditional manufacturing – and
using less material, too. It also
allows for much greater customization
of products, without worrying
about economies of scale.
Trend 4: Platforms are the way
forward for businesses
A platform is essentially a network
(digital or physical) that creates
value for participants by facilitating
connections and exchanges
between people for services, products
or information. The platform is
rarely the actual service provider;
instead, it acts as a facilitator for
the crowd, making interactions
possible, easy, and safe for participants.
Platforms have given rise to businesses
like Airbnb, Uber and Amazon,
and are also the foundation
of what Facebook and Twitter do.
However, platforms offer growth
opportunities across all kinds of
businesses, industries and sectors
– not just tech companies. Even
long-running businesses with
more traditional business models,
like Ford, are beginning to develop
platform strategies.
LIBERTY COMPUTERS PATTAYA (Est. 1997)
The specialists for bar, restaurant and entertainment systems
from B31,000 New Pc’s, PC repairs, CCTV and security systems
Tel: 038 360 400 or email steve@libertycomputers.asia
www.libertycomputers.asia
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