WEF report highlights transformative technology convergences

The World Economic Forum has released a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries and how business leaders can harness these insights to create new business models

The accelerating combination of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and engineering biology is transforming industries and unlocking new economic and societal value. Yet many organisations struggle to identify where and how to invest.

The Technology Convergence Report, developed in collaboration with Capgemini, introduces the 3C Framework – combination (the integration of distinct technologies), convergence (restructuring of value chains) and compounding (network effects and ecosystem transformation) – to help decision-makers identify where emerging technologies intersect

The report identifies 23 high-potential combinations drawn from over 230 subcomponents across eight critical domains: artificial intelligence, omni computing, engineering biology, spatial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, next-generation energy and quantum technologies.

It highlights AI as a key enabler, making many of these synergies commercially viable. Several combinations demonstrate the transformative potential of technology convergence across sectors like infrastructure, healthcare, energy and transportation, including:

Cognitive robotics: Agentic AI, spatial intelligence and robotic advancements in manipulation and adaptive control are enabling autonomous systems to make intelligent decisions in complex environments, driving progress in automotive and smart manufacturing.

Digital twin ecosystems: Advances in sensor networks and AI simulation systems are enhancing digital twins, enabling more integrated, end-to-end impact, and expanding their efficiency and applicability across sectors from aerospace to healthcare.

Hybrid quantum-classical computing: By combining quantum capabilities with the reliability of classical systems, this approach is already unlocking quantum’s potential in finance, molecular simulation and complex optimisation.

Materials informatics: Predictive modelling and transformers are accelerating R&D in advanced materials by enabling virtual testing of combinations and structures before synthesising them in a lab, driving more efficient development cycles in manufacturing, chemicals and beyond.

“Rapid advances across multiple technology domains are creating an undeniable shift in industries. The Technology Convergence report gives leaders a clear model to harness what is coming next,” said Jeremy Jurgens, managing director at World Economic Forum.

“The question is not about whether technology convergence will reshape industries. That journey has already begun. The real challenge is how companies can position themselves to be champions of convergence,” said Aiman Ezzat, chief executive officer of Capgemini.

Technological convergence is not a passing trend; it is a structural shift in how innovation occurs, the report concludes. By adopting a systems-thinking approach and investing at the intersections, organisations can anticipate where value is moving, position themselves in new value chains and lead the next wave of transformation.