We’re witnessing a time like no other, where the rapid adoption of technology is shaping nearly every sector, from tech itself to financial services and healthcare. The surge in interest in generative AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, and a range of next-generation technologies is propelling society towards a highly efficient future. This intense evolution holds great promise but also presents a series of significant challenges and risks.
As impressive as these advancements are, they come with profound costs. Technology has woven itself deeply into the fabric of our lives, with data becoming the backbone of our daily routines, often in ways we barely notice. Navigation for transit systems, logistics in shipping, precision in medical diagnostics, and even climate control in our homes and workplaces rely on the rapid processing of vast amounts of data. Without this flow of data, these systems would falter, disrupting essential services on which we have come to depend.
Tony Chan Carusone highlights the vulnerability inherent in this dependency, stating, “Our reliance on advanced technology leaves us vulnerable to critical failures if our ability to process data is disrupted, even for a moment. Such disruptions can have severe consequences, threatening our ability to function as a society. We must be mindful of these risks and take steps to protect ourselves.” This warning underscores a critical point: without adequate safeguards, the infrastructure underpinning our tech-driven lifestyles is at risk.
The growth in global data usage is staggering, with exponential increases each year. Bottlenecks in data handling can stall or stifle advancements, holding back benefits from reaching a wider population. This challenge raises a moral question that demands our urgent attention: how do we ensure these benefits can be shared safely and equitably across society?
Consider the sheer scale of data production. By 2023, an estimated 120 zettabytes of data will have been created, captured, copied, and consumed globally. That number is projected to grow by over 50% to reach 180 zettabytes by 2025. For perspective, in 2010, only about two zettabytes of data were generated globally. This marks a 90-fold increase in just 15 years.
The sheer magnitude of data is hard to imagine. To break it down, 120 zettabytes is equivalent to the data capacity of 120 billion 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max devices, or twice that many PlayStation 4 consoles, or more than 900 billion 128GB Chromebooks. These comparisons give a glimpse into the overwhelming volume of information being generated and exchanged.
As global data continues to surge, a harsh reality emerges: without a robust upgrade to our data infrastructure, we face a future where the weight of data demands will outstrip our capacity to handle it. The consequences of such a failure could be not just inconvenient, but catastrophic.
The benefits of technology and data are transformative but come with challenges that cannot be overlooked. The surge in data demands a corresponding investment in resilient infrastructure. As we embrace a data-dependent future, a proactive approach to managing and supporting this growth is essential to avoid risks that could destabilise critical societal functions.
Alphawave IP Group plc (LON:AWE) is a semiconductor IP company focused on providing DSP based, multi-standard connectivity Silicon IP solutions targeting both data processing in the Datacenter and data generation by IoT end devices.
