Deep Tech: What to Expect in 2022

As we’re about to finish the first quarter of 2022, it’s time to acknowledge some of the fresh perspectives on the trends that will influence the world in the future. With deep tech’s focus on problem-solving, growing investor interest can be expected in addressing many of the world’s most serious issues. Here are some of the deep tech trends to watch in 2022:

Climate Change Acceptance

There has been more discussion on how to get to net zero rather than on how to mitigate the consequences of climate change in of itself. While reaching net zero is critical, imminent disasters such as flash floods, forest fires, and rising sea levels must be addressed and mitigated immediately. This is where deep tech can step in. Sensors, advanced mapping technology, drones, satellites, and predictive modelling of weather effects on metropolitan areas can help with evacuation and rescue preparations as well as providing advance notices. Simultaneously, breakthroughs in material technology are paving the way for a new generation of building materials that are more resistant to floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes or hurricanes.

Alternative Sources for Energy

Fossil fuels are here to stay due to a lack of effective alternatives, though it is steadily diminishing. Therefore, there’s an increasing need for sources of renewable energy to combat this problem, all while solving those that non-renewable energy has left behind.

Technologies that capture, use, or store carbon, on the other hand, can aid in the decarbonization of the refining process. Intermittency is a problem with renewable energy sources like wind and solar, therefore they’ll still need a fossil fuel generator to back them up. 

Hydroelectric and geothermal power plants, on the other hand, are tailored to a land’s geological profile. Although hydrogen shows enormous potential as a carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels (as an energy source), its production is still reliant on fossil fuels.

Nuclear energy is the most promising and mature energy source in the short term, but it is also the most controversial. While it produces electricity with a low carbon footprint, safety concerns, high capital costs, and bad public perception have caused many countries to pass up the opportunity to investigate it as a clean option. Small modular reactors, which produce a huge amount of low-carbon electricity at a third of the producing capacity of standard nuclear power reactors, may rekindle interest in nuclear power in 2022.

Efficient Chips

Cryptocurrency mining is energy heavy, but what is less commonly known is that operating AI models has a massive carbon footprint that’s expanding by the day. Similarly, the growing popularity of the metaverse will necessitate increased computing and storage capacity. If hardware is not to become a bottleneck to adoption, it will be more important to develop quicker and less power-hungry circuits that have been optimised for AI and other purposes. It’s not only about processing power; it’s also about data storage, transmission, and more. As a result, there is a need to be equally positive about photonics and power chips, which improve machine-learning performance while lowering latency.

Cultivating the Sea

We frequently forget that nature may already have a rapid and easy-to-scale solution for our nutritional needs while we search for lab-based solutions. Algae and seaweed provide the same amount of minerals and protein as beans and soy. The advantages of our oceans aren’t limited to food as well; they operate as natural carbon sinks, and some companies are currently looking into the possibility of putting algae cultivation racks in the water to absorb more CO2. At the same time, it can be converted into a low-cost, abundant source of biofuel. While there are still technical obstacles, learning to harness what nature has already offered may be the best solution deep tech can offer to our problems today.

Technology as The Future

Technology trends are crucial for any business effort. They can influence how clients perceive your e-business or how your firm expansion efforts are carried out. These trends might point to new markets or products, and they can also provide new ways that could give you an edge over your online competitors. From an investor’s point of view, deep tech paves the way for newer opportunities to sprout, in spite of the risks that will come along with it.