UK-based market analysis and consulting agency, Juniper Analysis, has unveiled its Prime 10 Rising Tech Developments for 2026, with cutting-edge applied sciences like neuromorphic computing, bodily AI, and post-quantum cryptography taking centre stage. These are the applied sciences poised to reshape how companies plan and put money into expertise over the subsequent few years.
The ten tendencies are ranked by Juniper Analysis by the influence they’re anticipated to make. The paper cites 2026 as an essential juncture for adoption and deployment. The report basically may very well be taken as a possible roadmap and a information to expertise domains that, in time, would require strategic consideration.
The important thing tendencies from Juniper Analysis’s insights are as follows:
- Put up-quantum cryptography (PQC): The main target is shifting from principle to hybrid IoT options in the actual world. IoT distributors ought to be ready for long-term modifications in safety requirements and encryption to make sure machine and knowledge safety.
- Neuromorphic computing: These are “industrial chipsets” designed to deal with AI bottlenecks, with the prospect of a number of launches developing in 2026.
- Bodily AI: Humanoid robotics expertise is predicted to advance its presence over the subsequent three years with enhancements in autonomy and dexterity. Anticipate to see the advantages in logistics and industrial purposes.
- Multi-agent programs: Firms are anticipated to make use of extra specialist AI brokers which might be designed to automate particular enterprise duties or domains.
- Wi-fi EV charging: There are sturdy indications that counsel there can be sooner deployment of wi-fi charging infrastructure, encouraging a wider adoption of EVs.
- Counter-drone expertise: With threats escalating in battle zones and battle areas worldwide, larger funding in new detection and mitigation applied sciences is forecast.
- Microfluidics: This next-generation cooling technique is about to obtain larger curiosity as a response to the thermal density challenges that face knowledge centres, particularly these powering AI analytics for IoT analytics.
- Multi-cloud fashions: Outages in 2025 threw into aid the necessity for extra resilient cloud methods, which is resulting in wider adoption of multi-cloud setups as end-users look to flee single factors of failure within the cloud. This may occasionally not essentially relate to multi-cloud topologies for manufacturing programs, however decision-makers are anticipated to look at community service suppliers providing DNS, proxying, and content material distribution.
- Small modular reactors (SMRs): Regulatory approvals might shift long-term vitality planning processes for linked industries, with preliminary contracts at present negotiated by massive expertise operators with operators.
- Open-source sensible buildings: Interoperable platforms designed to speak and coordinate successfully in a bid to scale back vitality use and improve total effectivity. The emphasis can be on interoperability as constructing house owners try and keep away from vendor lock-in.
The ten themes point out a transfer in the direction of scalability and a level of maturity in an trade that, with time, is turning into extra resilient. The transfer to extra long-term scaling and provision can be notably evident in companies deploying IoT in important nationwide infrastructure, the place reliability and safety are important.
Molly Gatford, senior analysis analyst at Juniper Analysis, stated why she believes 2026 marks a key turning level. “Throughout safety, compute, vitality, and infrastructure, organisations are being compelled to make actual deployment selections on applied sciences that have been theoretical just a few years in the past. The problem going through enterprises in 2026 can be how rapidly they will undertake these applied sciences with out growing threat or complexity, and whether or not they have the organisational readiness to take action at scale.”
Applied sciences that have been as soon as theoretical and speculative have moved out of analysis and prototyping standing, and at the moment are creating rapidly, typically sooner than corporations can implement them successfully. Juniper Analysis hopes companies can use its report back to discover a new stability between innovation and resilience.
Advances in computing, vitality programs, automation, and cybersecurity are creating alternatives for these managing IoT and industrial programs, however will solely be viable if decision-makers can handle and management the elevated complexity these applied sciences and the challenges surrounding their integration into legacy programs successfully.
(Picture supply: “Fluid dynamic # 1” by mr.beaver is licensed underneath CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.)
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