World Economic Forum Lists Top Tech Trends for 2025 Success

A groundbreaking report has identified the top emerging technologies of 2025 that will create new industries and markets in the next three to five years. The World Economic Forum, among other partners like Frontiers, showed ten revolutionary technologies. These range from structural battery composites to AI-generated content watermarking.

These innovations go beyond technological advancement and provide real solutions to major global challenges. The solutions address climate change, healthcare accessibility, aging populations, and digital misinformation. Scientists worldwide are now combining biology, materials science, and artificial intelligence to solve complex problems, as these fields continue to meet. Businesses and governments must pay close attention to these technologies, especially when UAE’s top 1000 companies and other global markets seek competitive advantages through early adoption.

WEF and DFF unveil 2025’s top 10 transformative technologies

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has partnered with the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) to release a groundbreaking report on key emerging technologies for 2025. This collaboration marks a major milestone that brings together experts who identified innovations that could reshape industries globally.

The report’s findings came from more than 100 leading scientists, entrepreneurs, and futurists across six continents. They assessed each technology based on its maturity, economic effects, and ability to solve major global challenges.

After a complete assessment, these ten technologies showed the greatest potential to transform our world:

1. Structural battery composites
2. Osmotic power systems
3. Advanced nuclear technologies
4. Engineered living therapeutics
5. GLP-1 drugs for neurodegenerative conditions
6. Autonomous biochemical sensing
7. Green nitrogen fixation
8. Nanozymes
9. Collaborative sensing networks
10. Generative watermarking

WEF Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens said during the announcement that these technologies “represent the intersection of scientific breakthrough and practical application, offering solutions that could fundamentally alter our approach to energy, healthcare, and information integrity.”

The DFF’s analysis suggests that companies and nations who adopt these technologies early could lead emerging industries worth billions in the next decade. Many of these innovations support sustainability goals while creating new market opportunities.

All but one of these technologies share key traits: they show major technical progress, draw substantial investment, and address critical global needs. Many could grow exponentially, much like previous tech revolutions.

This year’s list stands out because biological systems, advanced materials, and computational intelligence meet in new ways. This signals a fundamental transformation in how technologies develop and work together.

Some technologies have already moved beyond labs with pilot projects running in different regions. Yet most face regulatory hurdles, scaling challenges, and questions about public acceptance before reaching their full potential.

The definitive list serves as a valuable roadmap for governments and corporations to prioritize their investments and policy development in coming years.

Structural battery composites merge energy and engineering

Structural battery composites (SBCs) stand out as a game-changing breakthrough among top emerging technologies. These innovations are changing the way energy storage works with physical structures. Traditional batteries add extra weight to vehicles and devices. SBCs work differently – they store energy and serve as load-bearing components at the same time.

How SBCs reduce weight and increase EV range

The multifunctional design of structural battery composites delivers remarkable efficiency. SBCs merge energy storage right into vehicles’ structural framework. This eliminates the need for separate battery components. Recent studies show that using SBCs just in an electric vehicle’s roof can cut mass by 20%. A lighter vehicle needs less energy to move. This means more batteries can be added, which substantially improves driving range.

The improvements in performance are a big deal. Electric vehicles with structural batteries could go 70% further on a single charge. Current SBC energy density sits at about 30 Wh/kg – lower than regular lithium-ion batteries. However, the weight savings make up for this difference. These materials’ stiffness has jumped from 25 to 70 gigapascals. This makes them as rigid as aluminum but much lighter.

Why aerospace and construction sectors are investing in SBCs

The aerospace industry leads the way in adopting structural batteries. Studies indicate that using laminated SBCs instead of standard composite masses and batteries could make aircraft like the CityAirbus 25% lighter. Hybrid-electric aircraft using SBCs with energy density above 200 Wh/kg could use 15% less fuel over a 1500 km flight.

SBCs show great results beyond aircraft frames. Tests prove that cylindrical structural batteries help drones hover 41% longer. This happens because SBCs basically remove the extra weight that usually comes with energy storage.

The construction industry is tapping into SBC’s potential too. These composites could power household appliances when built into structures. This shows how the technology reaches way beyond transportation.

The real-world effects of these innovations become clear in everyday items. Picture credit card-thin mobile phones and laptops that weigh half as much as today’s models.

Osmotic power systems turn saltwater into clean energy

_{Image Source: What is Green Living?}

Clean electricity from an unexpected source – the salt concentration difference between seawater and freshwater – ranks among the top 10 emerging technologies for 2025 through osmotic power systems.

What makes osmotic energy stable and renewable

“Blue energy,” as experts call it, employs the natural energy that forms as two water bodies with different salt concentrations meet. Water molecules move from freshwater with lower salinity to seawater with higher salinity through specialized membranes. This movement creates pressure that turns into electricity.

Two main technologies lead osmotic power generation: Pressure Retarded Osmosis (PRO) and Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED). PRO lets freshwater flow through semi-permeable membranes into pressurized saltwater chambers that drive turbines. RED works with membrane stacks that let positive or negative salt ions pass through, creating an electric current much like a battery.

Osmotic energy works round the clock, whatever the weather conditions, unlike solar or wind power. This reliable renewable resource could theoretically generate about 1370 TWh yearly – enough to power 520 million people’s annual electricity needs.

Each cubic meter of seawater holds 0.75 kWh of osmotic energy. The production creates no carbon dioxide or harmful byproducts, making it one of our cleanest energy options.

Where pilot projects are already underway

Norwegian company Statkraft developed the world’s first osmotic power prototype at Tofte, Norway in 2009. The demonstration proved this concept worked, though it produced just 2-4 kilowatts – enough to power a few light bulbs.

The Netherlands’ Blue Energy initiative at Afsluitdijk stands as one of today’s most advanced projects. This RED technology facility shows promising results for commercial use. Friesland province’s €1.2 million investment will help scale up this project to produce 132,000 kWh yearly, powering over 40 homes with sustainable electricity and cutting CO2 emissions by 19.8 tons annually.

SaltPower launched what experts call the world’s first fully operational osmotic power plant in Denmark in 2023. The plant generates about 100 kW using advanced hollow-fiber forward osmosis membranes.

France’s OsmoRhône pilot plant sits where the Rhône River meets the Mediterranean Sea. This site could produce about one-third of the Rhône’s total hydraulic energy (13 TWh).

Top research institutions worldwide continue to improve membrane materials and system designs to boost efficiency and lower costs as these technologies advance.

Advanced nuclear technologies redefine clean power

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Nuclear power is changing faster than ever, and advanced technologies are becoming vital parts of the clean energy transition. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Generation IV nuclear systems are transforming how we design, build, and deploy nuclear energy.

How SMRs and Gen IV reactors improve safety and scalability

SMRs have amazing advantages built into their design. These compact reactors work in places where conventional nuclear plants can’t fit. The best part? SMRs use passive safety systems that work with natural forces like gravity, convection, and self-pressurization. They don’t need human intervention or external power during emergencies. This makes radiation releases much less likely.

These technologies are easy to scale up because of their modular construction:

• Factory conditions handle 90% of manufacturing and assembly
• Teams can transport and install prefabricated units on-site
• Power plants grow step by step as energy needs increase

Generation IV reactors run at temperatures between 510°C and 1000°C. This is a big deal as it means that they run much hotter than today’s light water reactors (below 330°C). The higher temperatures make these reactors more efficient and useful beyond just making electricity. All but one of these Gen IV designs in international development can produce hydrogen through thermochemical processes.

Why nuclear is vital to decarbonization goals

Advanced nuclear technologies are a great way to get closer to climate goals. Nuclear plants keep running whatever the weather – unlike wind and solar. This reliability helps keep the grid stable as we add more renewable energy.

The numbers make a strong case for nuclear in fighting climate change. Climate experts’ models show that combining nuclear with wind and solar is the most budget-friendly way to decarbonize electricity generation. The lowest-cost scenario shows nuclear could provide nearly 43% of all generation by 2050.

These technologies do more than just make electricity. They can heat districts, power industrial processes, and help make hydrogen for transportation. Many designs can even reuse old fossil fuel sites, which helps keep skilled workers employed in these communities.

Engineered living therapeutics deliver drugs from within

_{Image Source: Frontiers}

Engineered living therapeutics stand out as a breakthrough among top medical advances. These therapeutics allow microorganisms to work as smart drug factories inside the human body. These remarkable living medicines employ programmed microbes that produce therapeutic compounds right where they’re needed. This targeted approach reduces side effects common in traditional treatments.

How microbes are programmed to produce medicine

Bacteria make ideal platforms for therapeutic programming because they know how to combine biologically active molecules. Scientists use synthetic biology tools to create genetically modified bacteria that react to specific triggers in their environment. These engineered microbes can now detect signals within the body, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract and tumor environments.

The programming process needs several key components:

• Input sensors that detect external signals
• Internal logic circuits that integrate inputs
• Gene expression control devices
• Actuators that generate responses based on circuit decisions

Scientists genetically engineer bacteria by adding, removing, or changing their genetic material. To cite an instance, see how researchers developed L. lactis bacteria to secrete interleukin-10 that treats intestinal inflammation. The same approach helps bacteria deliver proteins to tumor sites without spreading to unwanted locations.

What safety mechanisms are being developed

Scientists must develop resilient safety systems because of concerns about putting engineered microbes into human bodies. We focused on preventing bacterial survival outside intended environments through several approaches.

Auxotrophy leads these approaches by making bacteria depend on externally supplied nutrients that normal tissues lack. The L. lactis system shows this well – it replaces the thymidine gene with the human IL-10 gene. This makes bacteria rely on dietary thymidine to stay alive.

On top of that, gene engineering creates biological “kill switches” that stop bacteria from surviving outside their target environment. These containment mechanisms react to environmental signals or chemical triggers and can stop bacterial growth or cause self-destruction under specific conditions.

Quorum sensing modules improve safety by letting bacterial populations coordinate based on their density. The ‘essentializer’ and ‘cryodeath’ synthetic circuits in E. coli work as kill switches that prevent engineered bacteria from spreading to surrounding areas.

GLP-1s show promise for neurodegenerative diseases

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GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) lead the pack of innovative treatments that researchers now explore beyond their original purpose. These drugs, first developed to manage diabetes and obesity, show remarkable promise in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

How diabetes drugs are being repurposed for Alzheimer’s

GLP-1 acts as a pleiotropic hormone that triggers insulin secretion based on glucose levels. The brain produces GLP-1, where it protects neurons and controls inflammation. Scientists have found strong links between diabetes and brain disorders, as type 2 diabetes connects to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain insulin resistance contributes to cognitive decline, even without affecting the rest of the body. This discovery drives the push to repurpose these drugs. GLP-1 boosts insulin signaling in the brain and helps control neurological functions through hippocampal synaptic transmission.

Several GLP-1 drugs have entered clinical testing. A notable year-long phase II trial with Liraglutide involves over 200 participants throughout the UK. The Imperial College London research team tracks brain changes through scans at the trial’s start and end.

What early trials reveal about brain health benefits

Brain health trials have yielded promising results. A 12-month randomized controlled study of liraglutide with 204 mild Alzheimer’s patients showed the drug substantially slowed brain volume decline. The treated group lost almost 50% less volume in crucial brain regions, including frontal, temporal, parietal, and total gray matter.

The cognitive improvements proved equally positive. The study, though not designed to measure cognitive changes, revealed that liraglutide-treated patients’ cognitive decline slowed by 18% compared to placebo after one year. Researchers measured this improvement across 18 different tests that evaluated memory, comprehension, language, and spatial orientation.

The benefits reach beyond Alzheimer’s. Data analysis from over 2 million veterans showed GLP-1 drugs lowered the risks of addiction, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Autonomous biochemical sensing enables real-time diagnostics

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Autonomous biochemical sensing ranks among the most important emerging technologies of 2025. These systems provide live diagnostics without human oversight. They collect data from surroundings, process information on their own, and deliver useful insights to many sectors.

How wearable and environmental sensors work autonomously

Autonomous biochemical sensors combine detection mechanisms with signal processing in sophisticated ways. Environmental sensors measure pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide. They monitor changing conditions around the clock. Quick detection of environmental changes helps responders tackle emergencies like pollution events faster.

Farmers now use portable phytopathogen detection systems that combine tiny components with molecular assays for field diagnostics. Methods like Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) can spot pathogens at levels as low as 10 fg within 30 minutes. This eliminates the need for complex lab equipment. Smart LAMP and similar smartphone tools use cameras to capture reaction color changes and show infection indicators live.

Wearable biosensors pack even more advanced features:

• Solar-powered devices track multiple data points (glucose, pH, sodium ions, sweat rate, skin temperature) for over 12 hours during different activities
• Microfluidic sampling modules work with multiplexed electrochemical sweat biosensor arrays to analyze molecular markers
• Smart algorithms help save energy through adaptive power use in different lighting conditions

Why continuous monitoring is a game-changer for health and agriculture

Continuous biochemical monitoring reshapes early intervention approaches completely. Farmers can now spot plant diseases before they spread widely. Lab analysis used to delay treatment significantly. Modern portable devices identify pathogens right in the fields. This allows quick actions like targeted treatments or crop quarantine.

Healthcare has seen remarkable changes through live monitoring that gives unprecedented insights into body functions. Patients can track vital signs and biomarkers continuously with wearable sensors instead of visiting hospitals. These systems detect subtle changes that might signal health issues before symptoms show up. People with chronic conditions who live far from hospitals benefit greatly from this technology.

Autonomous biochemical sensing stands as a breakthrough that connects data collection with ground application in many fields.

Green nitrogen fixation reinvents fertilizer production

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Green nitrogen fixation ranks among the top agricultural breakthroughs of 2025. It aims to transform fertilizer production through environmentally responsible alternatives to conventional methods. The technology tackles a major environmental issue since current nitrogen fertilizer production through the Haber-Bosch process contributes about 1.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

How microbes and electricity replace Haber-Bosch

Nitrogen-fixing microorganisms provide a biological alternative to chemical fertilizers. They convert atmospheric nitrogen straight into ammonia that plants can use. A newer study published in 2025 shows two highly effective strains: Rhodotorula mucilaginosa NF 516, which showed a remarkable 115.87% boost in wheat plants’ nitrogen content, and Arthrobacter sp. NF 528. These microbes can cut chemical nitrogen fertilizer needs by half without affecting wheat yields.

Electrification opens another path to environmentally responsible fertilizer production. Solid oxide electrolysis (SOE) uses renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process also separates nitrogen from air – both essential ingredients for making ammonia. This simplification allows renewable ammonia production without depending on fossil fuels.

Several companies now genetically engineer bacteria to boost nitrogen production. Agricultural giant Bayer works with Ginkgo Bioworks, while Pivot Bio has created bacteria that keep producing nitrogen even when synthetic fertilizer is present.

What this means for sustainable agriculture

Green nitrogen fixation creates several benefits for agriculture:

• Environmental protection: These approaches can substantially reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint, which currently makes up about 5% of global emissions
• Budget-friendly options: Research from Washington State University found that sustainable ammonia production through electrolysis costs about the same as conventional fossil-fuel methods, between AED 561.81 and AED 723.37 per ton
• Food security: Moving away from carbon-based fertilizer production reduces risks from natural gas price changes, a major worry since fertilizer manufacturing heavily relies on fossil fuels

Small-scale production facilities at county levels or large farms could become reality by 2024. These local systems would make fertilizer more available in rural areas and cut down transportation emissions.

Nanozymes accelerate industrial and medical reactions

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Nanozymes are emerging as a groundbreaking technology for 2025 that changes how scientists work with catalytic reactions. These artificial enzymes contain nanomaterials with inherent enzyme-like properties and promise to revolutionize industries through increased efficiency and adaptability.

How synthetic enzymes outperform natural ones

Nanozymes show remarkable advantages over their natural counterparts, especially in stability and performance. Recent breakthroughs have produced artificial enzymes that work up to 12 times more efficiently than natural enzymes like horseradish peroxidase under similar reaction conditions. Some synthetic alternatives achieve an impressive 1,000-fold efficiency increase for non-biological reactions.

These advantages come from several key factors:

• Better thermal stability and chemical resistance
• Much lower production costs
• Easier storage requirements
• Activity control through structural changes

The structure of nanozymes copies natural enzymes’ electronic and geometric properties while fixing their shortcomings. Scientists at Tsinghua University showed this by creating a nanozyme that caused rapid oxidative death of tumor cells and cut tumor size in half within 14 days without toxic effects.

Where nanozymes are being applied today

Nanozymes now serve multiple sectors:

Medical applications use these synthetic catalysts as targeted drug delivery systems that improve treatment results while protecting healthy tissues. They also work as imaging agents for MRI, optical imaging, and PET scans because of their unique magnetic and optical properties.

Industrial processes benefit from nanozymes’ ability to speed up reaction rates in various environments. They remain stable across wider pH ranges, temperatures, and chemical conditions than natural enzymes.

Environmental applications have shown certain nanozymes can break down phenolic compounds and other pollutants in wastewaters effectively. This makes them environmentally responsible solutions for cleanup efforts.

Diagnostic tools use nanozymes to detect glucose, hydrogen peroxide, and pathogens with high sensitivity. Machine learning integration has improved the sensitivity, specificity, and overall performance of biosensing platforms remarkably.

Bimetallic and trimetallic nanozymes have pushed catalytic performance even further through mutually beneficial effects between different metallic elements. This puts these materials at the vanguard of next-generation biocatalysts.

Collaborative sensing networks enhance situational awareness

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Collaborative sensing networks now stand at the forefront of emergency management technology priorities. These networks have revolutionized data collection, analysis, and use in complex environments through the integration of multiple sensors with artificial intelligence.

How distributed sensors and AI work together

Collaborative sensing systems unite various sensor types into networks that connect naturally. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) serve as the foundation of these systems. They provide dense and dispersed sensing capabilities with remarkable tolerance to hostile conditions and low power consumption. The combination of AI with these networks—what experts call AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things)—boosts performance significantly. Studies show that AI-enhanced sensor networks achieve up to 85% improvement in energy efficiency and 90% accuracy in fault detection. Neural network algorithms also reach impressive 95% detection rates for network anomalies while keeping false positive rates below 2%.

Modern systems merge multiple data sources through sensor fusion techniques. Maritime safety platforms, to cite an instance, combine high-resolution optical, thermal, AIS, and radar data into single navigation interfaces. This multi-sensor approach improves distance estimation and helps avoid collisions even in poor visibility conditions. Military applications use platform-agnostic AI processors to filter battlefield data, which leads to faster and more confident decision-making.

Why this matters for smart cities and disaster response

Live monitoring forms the foundation of effective disaster management, which lets authorities detect emergencies instantly. Strategically placed hydrological nodes monitor water levels along riverbanks in flood-prone regions, while meteorological nodes track environmental conditions. These systems generate automated alerts to households, disaster management organizations, and local authorities when they detect threshold changes.

Collaborative sensing networks boost emergency coordination by enabling information sharing between departments. Smart cities’ success depends on effective collaboration—sharing IoT data between organizations and working together to provide better services, according to experts. This approach not only supports emergency responses but also optimizes everyday urban efficiency.

The effects go beyond immediate response capabilities. Decision-makers gain unprecedented understanding of disaster scope through historical and live data integration, which helps them select optimal mitigation strategies. These networks ended up turning raw data into applicable information that saves lives and protects communities.

Generative watermarking restores trust in AI content

_{Image Source: Brookings Institution}

Generative watermarking technology stands out as one of the best ways to keep trust in the digital world, especially now when AI-generated content looks almost identical to human-created media. This groundbreaking approach puts unique, invisible markers right into AI-generated content that work like digital signatures.

How invisible watermarks verify AI-generated media

The watermarking process needs two key parts: embedding algorithms and detection algorithms. AI systems learn to add specific signals or markers during their training phase. Humans can’t see these markers, but specialized software can spot them. These embedded codes create a unique identifier—like a digital fingerprint—that traces content back to its AI source.

Big tech companies already use various watermarking systems. Google’s SynthID tool adds watermarks right into image pixels without any visible quality loss. Meta puts “Made by AI” tags on Instagram and Facebook posts that come from AI. Microsoft rolled out similar features for AI-generated images and videos in 2023.

Text watermarking works quite differently from image marking. The system subtly changes word choices instead of altering characters. It might pick “comprehend” over “understand” to create patterns that detection tools can spot, but the meaning stays the same.

What role this plays in fighting misinformation

Watermarking lets us quickly check if content is real, which helps fight deepfakes and false information. Social media platforms, news organizations, and other online sites can automatically add disclaimers when they spot these embedded markers in AI-generated content.

Watermarking does more than just identify content—it helps track where content comes from. Scientists and legal teams find this particularly useful because authentic media can make or break their work.

Right now, some technical hurdles exist. We need to make watermarks harder to remove. Detection tools are expensive and slow without standardized access. Scientists must also figure out how to keep watermarks intact when someone tries to change them. We have a long way to go, but we can build on this progress. The technology’s success depends on widespread industry adoption and regulatory support.

Looking Ahead: Where Technologies Meet, Change, and Take Shape

The WEF and DFF have spotted ten breakthrough technologies that mean much more than standalone innovations. These technologies paint a picture of our future where biological systems, advanced materials, computational intelligence, and eco-friendly engineering come together.

Without doubt, structural battery composites and osmotic power systems share one goal. They aim to reinvent energy storage and generation through smart, multi-purpose designs. The same goes for engineered living therapeutics and GLP-1 applications. These medical treatments tap into our biological systems’ natural intelligence instead of traditional drug-based approaches.

Common patterns emerge from these breakthroughs. Most of these technologies tackle sustainability challenges and create business opportunities. To cite an instance, nanozymes boost industrial reaction efficiency and cut down resource use. On top of that, advanced nuclear technologies deliver clean energy no matter the weather, which works well with renewable sources.

Each technology has its own timeline to become mainstream. While generative watermarking works in commercial settings now, engineered living therapeutics need more safety tests before wider use. Yet all ten show solid technical progress, draw major investments, and solve pressing world problems.

Collaborative sensing networks and autonomous biochemical sensing reveal another trend. These systems move away from central control toward distributed intelligence. They process data right where it’s collected, which helps them react to changes quickly without human input.

Smart policies must guide this technological future. Rules need to grow with these innovations to keep things safe while letting helpful technologies grow. Schools must adapt too, building skills that line up with these new fields.

When these technologies come together, we get powerful new ways to solve complex global problems. Technical challenges still exist, but the 2025 list shows amazing progress on solutions we once thought impossible. People who grasp these innovations and how they connect will know how to direct our fast-changing tech landscape better.