Emerging
Jun 23, 20262
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Top 10 emerging technologies for 2026 unveiled at Summer Davos forum
The World Economic Forum and Frontiers released a report at the 2026 Summer Davos forum identifying ten emerging technologies expected to reshape industries and society through 2031. The technologies span clean energy, advanced materials, biotechnology, and quantum computing, marking a shift from software-focused AI toward physical systems affecting energy, medicine, food and materials sectors.
Quick Facts
Who
World Economic Forum
What
Released "Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026" report
When
June 23, 2026
Where
Dalian City, northeast China
- Released "Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026" report
- Identified key technologies shaping next five years
- Listed technologies in energy, medicine, food, materials, and quantum sectors
- World Economic Forum
- Frontiers (research publisher)
DALIAN, June 23 — The World Economic Forum and research publisher Frontiers unveiled a report on the "Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026" at the 2026 Summer Davos forum in northeast China's Dalian City. The report reflects a significant shift in technological focus: after years of software-first artificial intelligence development, technologies with major impact are now moving off screens and into physical systems that underpin modern economies — energy, medicine, food and materials.
The ten identified technologies represent breakthroughs expected to shape industry, policy and society over the next five years. In energy, "everything-to-grid" technology enables electric vehicles and buildings to store electricity and feed it back to the grid on demand, while direct lithium extraction replaces slow evaporation ponds with engineered systems that pull battery-grade lithium from salt flats in hours. Passive radiative cooling materials can keep buildings cool without consuming any power.
Environmental remediation is addressed through PFAS destruction, which breaks down "forever chemicals" into harmless, natural substances for clean drinking water. The technologies also span food and pharmaceutical production, with precision fermentation brewing food ingredients and medicines, and exosome drug delivery using the human body's natural cellular packages to deliver targeted medicines to diseased cells.
Advanced medical treatments include personalized mRNA cancer vaccines that train a patient's immune system to find and destroy cancer cells, and quantum simulation for drug discovery. The report also highlights emerging computational technologies: world models that predict real-world scenarios and lattice-based cryptography designed to protect sensitive digital data from being hacked by future quantum computers.
Why This Matters
This report matters because it pinpoints the technologies that will drive the next wave of economic and societal change, offering a roadmap for investors, policymakers, and business leaders to prioritize R&D funding, regulatory frameworks, and strategic partnerships. Understanding these shifts can help organizations adapt to emerging risks and opportunities in sectors from energy to healthcare, and avoid being caught off guard by fast-moving breakthroughs like grid-integrated EVs or personalized cancer vaccines.
Timeline & Sources
Jun 23, 2026
WireWorld Economic Forum and Frontiers released Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026 report at Summer Davos forum in Dalian