Research Articles

A complimentary collection of insights written by IDTechEx industry experts, covering key technology innovation trends shaping the next decade.

Co-packaged optics (CPO) is gaining significant attention as the next architecture for next-generation switching. The shift toward co-packaged optics is also reshaping competitive positioning among semiconductor vendors. This article examines the differing approaches of NVIDIA and Broadcom, with further detail available in IDTechEx's latest report, "Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) 2026-2036: Technologies, Market, and Forecasts".

Industrial biomanufacturing occupies a distinctive position in the production of high-value specialty chemicals. This article discusses two of the technology trends in specialty chemical biomanufacturing, the use of cell-free systems and alternative non-sugar feedstocks.

The current conflict in Iran has resulted in a sudden hike in fertilizer prices, now up to US$567 per tonne according to the BBC. Could this drive local low-cost ammonia production?

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Daniel Parr on Thursday 12th March for the expert-led webinar, "Lithium-ion Batteries: Growing Demand, Falling Prices". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times in one day.

Reaching global net-zero by 2050 targets in the marine and aviation sectors will require large-scale e-fuel production. This IDTechEx article provides an explanation of the current e-fuel space.

According to the new IDTechEx report "Humanoid Robots 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets and Opportunities", the humanoid robot industry is entering an early commercialization phase, with adoption expected to scale first in industrial environments before expanding into broader commercial and consumer markets.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Dr Cherie Wong on Thursday 5th March for the expert-led webinar, "Blue Hydrogen: Technology Innovations, Market Developments, and 10-Year Growth Outlook". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times in one day.

Batteries are used in data centers as part of uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS) to prevent data loss and to cover critical loads. However, as AI data centers become more prevalent, as does the need to manage the volatility in their power loads. This article from IDTechEx examines emerging battery technology trends for data centers.

Latency, energy, privacy. By shifting AI computation from the cloud to the edge, these issues can be alleviated. 2025 was a breakout year for many AI applications, with consumer electronics leading the way in revenue due to the trend to towards AI smartphones and PCs, and rising costs of chips manufactured on leading process nodes.

The US' nascent lithium production capacity makes use of direct lithium extraction technologies to localize and secure battery supply chains. However, with political tensions around Greenland rising, this article explores how the recent discovery of hard rock lithium deposits in the region could reshape American lithium production.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Thomas Bithell on Thursday 26th February for this expert webinar, "Waveguide Technologies and Substrate Choices Shaping the Next Generation of AR and AI Smart Glasses".

From electric vehicles to consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are one of the most popular battery chemistries on the market today, providing high energy density and long lifespans. This article covers Li-ion battery additives and the original extraction of lithium.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales continue to grow globally, with passenger cars primarily driving the growth. EV performance is fundamentally tied to EV batteries, at cell- and pack-level. As new EV sectors are unlocked and performance targets are reached, trends in material demand across cell and pack components emerge. This article explores material trends in EV cathodes, anodes and packs that underscore the EV market as a whole.

IDTechEx's expansive portfolio of advanced materials and critical minerals research reports provides a range of technologies from graphene and carbon nanotubes to conductive inks and advanced coatings. This article covers some of their main applications and use considerations.

From atomic nuclei and the sun to hydrogen and recycled fuels, energy sources today originate from a vast array of sustainable sources. This article covers some of the largest up and coming energy sources that contribute to clean energy efforts worldwide.

Blue hydrogen plays a critical transitional role in the shift toward a hydrogen-based economy. IDTechEx forecasts that the global blue hydrogen market is projected to reach US$52 billion in 2036, growing at a CAGR of 22%.

Celebrating Chinese New Year 2026: IDTechEx Highlights Rising UK Engagement with Chinese Automakers and Asia-Pacific Industry Collaboration

Quantifying the smallest phenomena or enabling the securest of communications is possible with developments in quantum technologies. This article covers the latest trends and forecasts across quantum sensing, computing, and communications.

This article evaluates some of the strengths and weaknesses of reflective and diffractive waveguides used in augmented reality (AR) optics for smart glasses.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Shihao Fu on Thursday 19th February for this expert webinar where we will explore how regulatory clarity, automation, sensor integration, and evolving business models are enabling certain drone applications to scale, while others continue to face structural barriers. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times in one day.

Grid-scale energy storage (ES) markets are dominated by pumped hydro storage (PHS) and Li-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS). The reducing costs of Li-ion technologies continues to create challenges for other energy and battery storage technologies, such as redox flow batteries (RFBs) to penetrate short-duration grid-scale markets. However, the different demands of emerging applications such as data centers and long duration energy storage could be key for RFB developers to target. This article from IDTechEx examines the future strategies and considerations for flow battery developers and emerging applications.

Join IDTechEx Principal Technology Analyst Conrad Nichols on Tuesday 17th February for this expert webinar "Battery Storage Trends in Data Centers and Commercial & Industrial Applications". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

IDTechEx analyst Conrad Nichols discusses the role of batteries in data centers.

An increase in commercial flights and the moving away from government operations is resulting in a rising interest in thermal protection systems for spacecraft. This article explores different approaches with a focus on aerobraking and passive and ablative systems.

In this brief video Senior Technology Analyst Pranav Jaswani covers the advancement of direct lithium extraction processes.

Hand delivering parcels to the front door, providing companionship for people living alone, or working in warehouse manufacturing lines are some of the potential applications for robots. This article explores service robots, mobile robots, and collaborative robots.

Missed out on CES this year? Or did you attend but miss the chance to explore the sensor innovations on display? In this article, IDTechEx Principal Technology Analyst Dr Tess Skyrme outlines three important trends for the sensor market evident from our trip to Las Vegas this year.

While the HEFA pathway dominates sustainable fuel production globally, feedstocks are limited. In this article, IDTechEx explores advanced biofuel technologies expected to rise when the world runs out of HEFA.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Noah El Alami on Thursday 12th February for this expert webinar "How Materials Can Enable Commercial Quantum Technologies". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

White biotechnology is a key step in a circular economy, enabling the transformation of waste to industrially useful chemicals via a sustainable process. This article delves into two of the key market drivers for industrial biomanufacturing: government policy and technology advancement.

There has been a continuous increase in the cost of platinum since 1970. In this article, IDTechEx introduces the role of Pt as a catalyst in PEM fuel cells and outlines several ways in which the industry is striving to reduce its dependence on the ever increasingly expensive precious metal.

As optical transceivers continue to advance in bandwidth, power efficiency, and integration level, their influence is extending beyond the data-centre network and into the way AI systems themselves are architected. Increasingly, the transition toward optical interconnects is not driven by raw bandwidth demand alone, but by the growing tension between electrical SerDes scaling, system power budgets, and physical architecture constraints. To understand how this shift is unfolding, it is useful to first distinguish between scale-up fabrics, connectivity in AI systems.

Green hydrogen has been promised as the clean energy carrier of the future, but recent project delays and cancellations have raised questions about whether it will truly become a cornerstone of the energy transition or turn out to be an overhyped technology that fails to scale. In this article, IDTechEx explores key market trends and regional developments that could shape the future of the green hydrogen market.

Join IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Pranav Jaswani on Thursday 29th January for this expert webinar "Direct Lithium Extraction: Reshaping Global Lithium Supply Through Efficiency & Sustainability". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

As communication systems move to higher frequencies (e.g. 5G/6G) and data transfers move to higher rates, minimizing transmission losses and maintaining signal integrity become very important. This is where low-loss materials come in. With several different options for low-loss materials available in the market, this article looks at the key properties and factors to consider that guide the selection of materials for high frequency applications.