The World Economic Forum released its annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report 2026 today, identifying breakthroughs poised to reshape economies and societies within the next three to five years.
Produced in collaboration with Frontiers, a leading scientific publisher, the report examines technologies approaching a critical inflection point where advances in research are beginning to translate into large-scale, real-world applications.
The report identifies 10 emerging technologies approaching commercial and societal scale:
1. Everything-to-grid energy: Buildings, vehicles, factories and data centres can increasingly act as both energy consumers and suppliers, sending stored electricity back to electricity grids when needed. This could improve energy resilience while making better use of local renewable power.
2. Direct lithium extraction: Removes lithium from brine in hours rather than months, while using less land and water than conventional methods. It could unlock new sources of a critical battery material and strengthen supply chains.
3. Passive radiative cooling materials: These materials cool buildings and equipment without electricity by reflecting sunlight and releasing heat into the atmosphere. They could reduce energy demand and improve resilience in hotter climates.
4. PFAS destruction: New technologies can break down per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals”, that have long resisted conventional treatment. This could help remove persistent pollutants from water supplies and the environment.
5. Precision fermentation: Uses microorganisms to produce specific ingredients and materials more efficiently. It could enable new ways to manufacture food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with fewer resources.
6. Exosome drug delivery: Exosomes are natural particles produced by cells that can be engineered to deliver therapies precisely within the body. They may enable treatments to reach previously inaccessible targets, including the brain.
7. Personalized mRNA cancer vaccines: Trains a patient’s immune system to recognize the unique mutations in their tumour. They could improve the ability to prevent cancer recurrence following treatment.
8. Quantum simulation for drug discovery: Models molecular interactions with unprecedented accuracy, helping researchers identify promising drug candidates faster and more efficiently.
9. World models: Enable AI systems to build a shared understanding of physical environments using multiple forms of data. They could improve how machines predict, plan and interact with the real world.
10. Lattice-based cryptography: Designed to protect data from decryption by both today’s computers and future quantum machines. It could help secure digital infrastructure as quantum computing advances.
Many of the technologies highlighted in the report point towards systems that may become more distributed, personalized and resource-efficient over time.
“While each of these technologies has the potential to make a meaningful impact on its own, together they tell a broader story about where innovation is heading,” said Stephan Mergenthaler, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “They reveal new patterns across energy, medicine and manufacturing that could challenge long-held assumptions about how we use technology to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as food insecurity, climate change and untreatable diseases.”
Technologies such as everything-to-grid energy systems, direct lithium extraction and precision fermentation suggest how production systems could become less dependent on centralized infrastructure and traditional geographic constraints. Passive radiative cooling materials similarly point to new ways of managing energy demand and environmental pressures in regions where cooling has traditionally relied on energy-intensive systems.
Several of the technologies also suggest that value creation could increasingly depend on the ability to produce, adapt or optimize systems closer to the point of use. Personalized mRNA cancer vaccines, exosome drug delivery and quantum simulation for drug discovery all point to more individualized approaches to treatment and molecular design, enabled by advances in computation, modelling and targeted delivery systems.
Infrastructure, technical capability and deployment capacity could become increasingly important alongside traditional resource endowments, particularly in sectors where production, energy systems and advanced manufacturing are becoming more distributed and adaptive.
The report also highlights how technologies such as PFAS destruction, passive radiative cooling materials and lattice-based cryptography could reshape how industries and governments address long-standing environmental, infrastructure and security challenges. Several of these technologies raise the possibility of overcoming constraints previously viewed as difficult, persistent, or economically impractical to solve. Whether these patterns translate into real-world success, however, will depend on factors such as infrastructure readiness, regulatory adaptation, manufacturing capacity, public trust and long-term investment.
“Understanding which technologies are approaching a true inflection point requires access to the best available evidence and expertise,” said Frederick Fenter, Chief Executive Editor, Frontiers. “Open science enables researchers around the world to build on one another’s work, accelerating discovery while improving transparency and trust. That shared foundation is critical for identifying and developing innovations that can deliver lasting societal benefit.”
Developed with the Dubai Future Foundation, the report also explores the conditions that will shape how these technologies evolve and scale through 2031, including infrastructure readiness, governance, investment and public adoption. Together, these factors will play a critical role in determining whether today’s emerging technologies deliver broad societal impact tomorrow.
About the Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report
Now in its 14th edition, the Top 10 Emerging Technologies report provides trusted foresight to help leaders navigate scientific and technological change. Drawing on the expertise of scientists, researchers and futurists, the report identifies ten innovations expected to scale within five years and deliver wide societal benefits. Technologies are selected through a rigorous process combining AI-enabled analysis of scientific literature, investment and ecosystem trends, and expert evaluation.
About the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026
The 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions will take place from 23 to 25 June 2026 in Dalian, People’s Republic of China, under the theme “Innovating at Scale”. The meeting will bring together over 1,700 participants cross-sector leaders to explore how innovation and emerging technologies can unlock new growth models and drive positive economic momentum in a fast-shifting global landscape.
