By Damilola Abiola
Geneva, Switzerland — June 3, 2025, A new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights how the fusion of emerging technologies is revolutionising industries and calls on business and policy leaders to embrace convergence to stay competitive and drive systemic impact.
Released today in partnership with Capgemini, the Technology Convergence Report presents a fresh framework – the 3C Model, which combines, converges, and compounds – to help decision-makers understand where and how next-generation technologies intersect and amplify one another.
“Rapid advances across multiple technology domains are creating an undeniable shift in industries,” said Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum. “The Technology Convergence report gives leaders a clear model to harness what is coming next.”
Drawing from over 230 technological components across eight domains – including artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum technologies, and next-generation energy – the report identifies 23 high-potential technology combinations. Rather than spotlighting single breakthroughs, the study emphasises how integrated tech systems are shaping new business models and industry trajectories.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a pivotal enabler across several of these combinations, making novel applications commercially viable. Among the most promising examples:
- Cognitive robotics: Integrating AI, spatial intelligence, and robotics to create autonomous systems capable of intelligent decision-making in complex environments, revolutionising sectors like smart manufacturing and automotive design.
- Digital twin ecosystems: Leveraging advanced sensor networks and AI simulations to enhance real-time, end-to-end system modelling, with applications spanning aerospace to healthcare.
- Hybrid quantum-classical computing: Merging quantum computing with traditional systems to unlock breakthroughs in finance, molecular simulation, and optimisation challenges.
- Materials informatics: Using predictive modelling and AI transformers to test and refine advanced materials virtually, accelerating R&D across manufacturing and chemical industries.
“The question is not about whether technology convergence will reshape industries. That journey has already begun,” said Aiman Ezzat, CEO of Capgemini. “The real challenge is how companies can position themselves to be champions of convergence.”
The report also advises policy-makers to adopt a systems-thinking approach, encouraging regulatory collaboration across sectors to better anticipate the ripple effects of technology fusion.
Compiled through contributions from the WEF’s global Technology Convergence Community and Capgemini’s survey of 2,000 senior executives across 18 countries, the report blends expert insight with executive data to offer a practical roadmap for navigating the emerging convergence era.
The World Economic Forum’s Technology Convergence Initiative continues to explore how technologies like biotechnology, spatial computing, and AI can be interwoven to deliver solutions with broad societal value.