Not just AI: McKinsey names 13 technologies investors should watch out for

Consulting firm McKinsey has released its annual report Technology Trends Outlook 2025 - it lists 13 cutting-edge technology trends that are shaping new markets and creating investment opportunities. These are not forecasts for the distant future, but trends with already noticeable capital growth: last year, investments in companies operating in these segments amounted to tens of billions of dollars. The McKinsey report can be called a map for investors, which shows where new leaders, sustainable ecosystems and innovative breakthroughs may emerge in the coming years. All 13 trends - in this material;

Equity investment in 2024: $1.1 billion

McKinsey cites agent-based artificial intelligence - AI that independently plans and performs complex tasks - as one of the top trends. It is increasingly being used to automate customer service, programming, and cybersecurity. Among the companies already implementing such solutions are OpenAI (Operator), Google (Gemini 2.5 Flash), Salesforce (Agentforce), and Darktrace;

Last year, investors invested less in agent AI than in classic AI platforms, but the market is growing rapidly, McKinsey writes: this is evidenced at least by the number of job openings, which increased by 985% over the year. Most solutions are still at the level of pilot projects, but McKinsey notes the high interest of business in practical cases and expects that in the near future agent AI will be actively implemented business processes. The potential of agent AI is in companies that will create new tools for the B2B market.

Equity investment in 2024: $124.3 billion

Artificial intelligence is the most capital-intensive trend among those shaping the new structure of the economy. In the first quarter of 2025, companies working on AI raised $52 billion, including SoftBank's $40 billion investment in OpenAI, the largest venture capital deal in history.

The largest public players in the industry include Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, Palantir, ServiceNow, SAP and Adobe. The greatest commercial effect is provided by generative and analytical AI, which is being implemented not only in IT, but also in finance, industry, medicine and logistics. For example, banking company Ally Bank implemented the GitLab platform - a comprehensive AI solution that helps securely and efficiently develop, deploy and maintain software - and accelerated software product releases and updates by 55%, while reducing costs. 

Equity investment in 2024: $7.5 billion

One of the key trends in the McKinsey report is highly specialized semiconductors and chips that provide high performance and energy efficiency for AI and complex computing. They are becoming the technological foundation for the development of AI services, data centers and cloud platforms.    

Nvidia dominates this industry, but Amazon, Google and Microsoft are trying to compete with it, and are actively creating their own specialized gas pedals for working with AI. In parallel, promising startups such as Cerebras, Groq and SambaNova Systems are emerging on the market, developing solutions for narrow tasks. McKinsey notes that semiconductor manufacturing is critical to the growth of AI-focused data center capacity, which the company predicts will grow 33% annually by 2030. However, rapid changes in technology raise questions about how sustainable demand will be.

Equity investment in 2024: $44.2 billion 

McKinsey analysts call low-power wireless networks, 5G cellular systems and new 6G generations, new Wi-Fi standards, and satellites in low-Earth orbit advanced technologies;

The introduction of 5G has paved the way for 6G networks, and the market for private wireless networks is expected to grow to $32.86 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 23%, according to McKinsey. The rapid growth of data centers has increased the demand for fiber optic networks, a key infrastructure for artificial intelligence, edge computing, and smart services. The major players in the advanced communications market are Cisco, T-Mobile, Apple, Nvidia, and SpaceX. These companies are developing network slicing technologies, reducing the power consumption of devices, creating efficient photonic switches, and bringing direct smartphone-to-satellite communication services to the market.

Equity investment in 2024: $80.8 billion

IT infrastructure architecture in which computing and data processing are distributed between centralized data centers and edge devices optimizes data transfer costs and increases process resilience. Key technology trends in this industry include hybrid cooling systems, distributed computing (e.g., AWS Trainium), the development of on-premises clouds, and increased cybersecurity measures;

According to McKinsey's forecast, demand for data center computing capacity could more than triple by 2030. The market is being transformed not only by the largest cloud providers (Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure), but also by new players: for example, CoreWeave, which offers cloud solutions based on Nvidia gas pedals - the company showed a 737% year-over-year revenue growth and IPO in 2025. 

Equity investment in 2024: $6 billion

Key factors in the development of immersive technologies include the development of smart glasses and other devices (Meta Quest 3, Apple Vision Pro, Snap Spectacles), improved haptic interfaces and the integration of artificial intelligence. Immersive technologies are now used not only in gaming and entertainment, but also in medicine (VR training and surgery) and industrial prototyping (New Balance reduced the prototyping time from 45 to 7 days);

The report separately highlights initiatives from major companies: Meta and Google are investing in new generations of AR glasses and mixed reality platforms, Apple has brought to market Vision Pro with AI-powered digital avatar creation, and startups Virtuix and Contact CI are working on haptic feedback capabilities in VR. 

Equity investment in 2024: $77.8 billion 

The most in-demand technologies in this area are digital identification, encryption, threat monitoring, and blockchain platforms for secure transactions.

Competition in the cybersecurity solutions market is growing: major players are scaling ecosystems by acquiring innovators, for example, Cisco acquired Splunk. Companies investing in security are winning - their shares are rising 245pc more than their competitors. Blockchain solutions and tokenization are being rapidly adopted in finance: bank JPMorgan has integrated the Kinexys platform for currency settlement, and investment firm BlackRock has taken its tokenized fund BUIDL to a share of over 40% of the US digital treasury securities market. The sector remains one of the most dynamic in terms of demand, regulatory developments and investment opportunities. 

Equity investment in 2024: $2 billion

So far, the applied tasks of quantum computers are limited, but in the future the technology may radically change pharmaceuticals, finance, logistics and cybersecurity - primarily by modeling complex processes and analyzing big data;

Giants bet on error reduction and scaling of quantum systems. In 2025, the largest technology companies presented their developments: Willow chip from Google, Majorana 1 processor from Microsoft, Ocelot system from AWS. IBM opened the first European data center for quantum computing, Nvidia is building its own research center. And although the mass application of quantum technologies is still far away, McKinsey predicts that in the near future quantum technologies will have a serious impact on finance, chemistry, healthcare and transportation;

Equity investment in 2024: $7 billion

The main technological trend is the integration of AI, which allows robots to adapt to new tasks and interact with humans. This makes them versatile: they learn, recognize objects, navigate complex routes, and can replace humans where manual labor was previously required. Mass implementation is constrained by the lack of specialists to work with "smart" machines and safety standards. Nevertheless, the robotics market remains promising: according to McKinsey, cost reductions and technological breakthroughs could transform entire industries in the coming years.

The fastest growth in this segment is shown by "service" robots - by 20-35% annually. Boston Dynamics, Tesla, Amazon, Covariant, and Figure AI are bringing to market smart robots that work in factories, logistics, trade, medicine, and the restaurant business. A prime example is GXO Logistics, which has contracted to mass deploy Digit humanoid robots in warehouse operations.

Equity investment in 2024: $131.6 billion

Major companies are beginning to commercialize unmanned cars, drones, and aerial cabs: Alphabet-controlled Waymo has expanded robotaxi operations in Los Angeles and Austin, Kodiak Robotics has launched driverless truck convoys in Texas, and Amazon and Walmart are developing drone deliveries. Major startups Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation are preparing to launch eVTOL cabs, and Lime and other micromobility leaders are scaling fleets of electric scooters and e-bikes around the world. 

Challenges for the industry include high costs for charging infrastructure (from $2k to $100k per station), a shortage of lithium for batteries and insufficient confidence in autonomous systems: the U.S. consumer confidence index in drones remains low at 39 out of 100 points. McKinsey forecasts that the sector will grow due to technological breakthroughs, new safety standards and integration of AI into transportation systems. 

Equity investment in 2024: $57.3 billion

A key area of bioengineering remains gene editing technology (CRISPR), which in late 2023 was approved in the U.S. for the therapy of sickle cell anemia.  

Market leaders include Adaptyv Biosystems, which uses AI and robotics to design proteins, EVERY company that produces proteins without the use of animals, and Shinobi Therapeutics, which creates biological scaffolds for regenerative medicine using automation. 21st.BIO is building plants to commercially produce proteins that are used in the medical and food industries. Biotechnology is moving to scale, with approval of the drug Casgevy, advances in biomaterials and AI solutions accelerating its adoption across industries. Yet the industry faces a number of challenges, including the need to regulate new technologies and public perception of genetic engineering. 

Equity investment in 2024: $9.3 billion

Reducing the cost of launching rockets and satellites makes space technology more affordable and cost-effective. For example, the cost of launching cargo into Earth orbit has already dropped to $1400 per kilogram, and projects like SpaceX's Starship promise to bring that price down to $10-30 per kilogram - due to reusability and high launch frequency.

The growth of commercial satellite internet (Starlink projects from SpaceX and Kuiper, controlled by Amazon) and the integration of satellite data with AI are opening up new opportunities in communications, environment and defense: for example, the time to analyze satellite images has been reduced from 57 minutes to a few seconds. Space technologies are still at the experimental stage: most companies are testing prototypes without a focus on quick payback. They are most actively developing in the defense sector, as well as in energy, telecommunications and construction - especially in the United States, China, Europe and the Middle East, where satellite data and geo-analytics are in demand;

Equity investment in 2024: $223.2 billion

McKinsey identifies this sector as key to the global transition to a low-carbon economy. Growing demand for electricity, including from the rapid development of data centers, requires the modernization of energy systems and the introduction of next-generation technologies. Oxford PV, a UK-based perovskite solar cell developer, has begun producing solar panels with efficiencies of up to 24.5%, significantly higher than traditional silicon panels. Other areas include scalable green hydrogen production (China controls about 60% of the world's electrolyzer capacity) and expansion of the e-fuel market (Swiss company Synhelion's first industrial plant in Germany). Small modular reactors (Oklo, TerraPower) and nuclear fusion projects (Commonwealth Fusion Systems) are receiving significant investments.

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