This week, our data visualizations focus on technology trends shaping our world, from the AI revolution to the future of energy and more.
The cloud and edge computing landscape is transforming, driven by AI advancements that are disrupting sectors from semiconductors to data center design. Job postings related to cloud and edge computing increased by 2 percent between 2023 and 2024, while patents related to the technology rose 4 percent. Also, the demand for data center capacity is expected to triple by 2030, reaching 171 to 219 gigawatts annually, according to Senior Partner Lareina Yee and coauthors. This may prompt companies to explore new locations with robust energy infrastructure, such as Southeast Asian and Nordic countries. Meanwhile, the energy and sustainability technology sector is undergoing shifts, with equity investment rebounding in 2024 after fluctuations since 2020. Companies are making strides in clean technologies, including synthetic fuels produced using solar heat and advancements in nuclear power, with 31 countries committing to tripling global nuclear energy capacity by 2050. Additionally, solar-photovoltaic (PV) and wind power are scaling rapidly in various regions, with China leading in solar PV manufacturing and India poised to become the second-largest manufacturer by 2026.
Image description:
A bubble chart illustrates the relationship between interest and innovation scores for artificial intelligence, with the size and color of the bubbles representing equity investment and adoption rate, respectively. The chart shows a clear upward trend from 2020 to 2024, with the bubble for 2024 being the largest and darkest blue, indicating a high adoption rate and significant equity investment of $124.3 billion. The innovation score has increased from just below 0.5 in 2020 to around 0.9 in 2024, while the interest score has risen from about 0.2 to 0.9 over the same period. Additionally, the chart highlights a 35% gain in job postings between 2023 and 2024.
Note: This image description was completed with the assistance of Writer, a gen AI tool.
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To read the report, see “McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2025,” July 22, 2025.