Research Articles

Achieving net zero by 2050 will require approximately 30 gigatonnes less CO2 to be emitted each year, alongside 2-10 gigatonnes of CO2 removal per year. CCUS has been recognized by many global bodies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency, as a great decarbonization tool to help achieve these goals.

Haptics might fly under the radar, but they form a major industry that offers serious user experience benefits to consumers. IDTechEx forecasts a US$7.1 billion market for haptic technology in 2035, with much of the growth in this market being fueled by the adoption of haptics in new classes of device.

As a reliable and well-performing technology for battery energy storage systems (BESS), its demand in the global ES market has continued to grow at an impressive pace. This is expected to continue, and as found in their new market report, "Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage 2025-2035", IDTechEx estimates that the global Li-ion BESS market will be valued at US$109B in 2035.

Over a million cars today use long-wave infrared (LWIR) as an add-on within optional night driving systems. By 2027, IDTechEx predicts that these infrared cameras will be commonly installed as part of ADAS systems, providing night vision and abilities to either kickstart the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system or alert the driver.

Conductivity is a hot topic within the conductive inks sector, with a wide variation of requirements for it differing by application. The low current of capacitive touch sensors and the need for resistance in PTC (positive temperature coefficient) heaters means the conductivity requirement for these applications is low. On the other hand, power electronics stand at the far end of the spectrum, with high conductivity required for high efficiency and optimum results.

Thursday 12 December 2024 - Machine Learning Methods for Battery Development, Manufacturing and Management; An introduction to challenges in the battery industry; An overview of machine learning and how it can be applied for batteries; Use-case analysis for five different market sectors Business model analysis for the overall market; Qualitative conclusions on how and where machine learning will see use over the next few years

As global populations rise and more regions urbanize, cutting back on construction isn't a viable decarbonization strategy. Leading cement decarbonization technologies, including supplementary cementitious materials, alternative fuels, and carbon capture, will avoid an additional 422 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, in the cement sector over the coming decade.

Thursday 19 December 2024 - What is quantum computing, and what is the state of the industry?; How is the industry evolving as commercialisation ramps up?; How do scalability challenges vary between quantum computing modalities?; What are some key updates from major players in the eco-system from 2024?; Which trends can be expected in the quantum computing market in 2025 and beyond?

Wednesday 11 December 2024 - The Future Trajectory of the Additive Manufacturing Market in 2025; Recent news, including entries and exits into the market; Financial summary for the 3D printing industry in 2024; Technology trends; Future outlook for 2025

Traditionally, hard rock mining and evaporation ponds have been the primary methods for lithium extraction. This article offers an overview of established techniques for mining lithium from natural resources. It focuses particularly on a collection of technologies known as direct lithium extraction (DLE), which have the potential to unlock lithium from brine more efficiently, with improved recovery rates and additional environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benefits.

Tuesday 17 December 2024 - Introduction into the Li-ion market and silicon anode technology; Discussion of key silicon anode technologies and developments; Overview of the silicon anode market; Key conclusions and takeaways

If H2ICE offers significant emissions reductions, can be done quickly, and does not compromise on performance and range (essential metrics for commercial vehicles), then what is holding it back?

Permanent magnet (PM) motors have dominated the BEV market for years and continue to do so, providing the best efficiency and power density for a variety of EV applications. Magnet-free wound rotor synchronous motors (WRSM) are a primary alternative to PM motors, with adoption seen from players like Renaut and BMW, while induction motors are useful for short acceleration bouts in dual motor vehicles as they are low cost and have no rolling drag when not in use.

Monday 9 December 2024 - Commercializing Autonomous Vehicles: Robotaxis, Robobuses and Robotrucks; Case studies of key robotaxi players and their deployments; Analysis of robotaxi testing, performance, and deployments; Outlook of how the robotaxi industry will grow and scale in coming years; Market outlook of key Roboshuttles, Autonomous Buses and Autonomous Truck players and their deployments; Analysis of Autonomous Truck TCO in different regions; Outlook of how the Roboshuttles, Autonomous Buses industry will grow and scale in coming years

With growing interest into the integration of fuel cells for stationary power, many commercial players have chosen to adopt either proton exchange membrane (PEM) or solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, alternative fuel cell technologies like alkaline fuel cells (AFCs), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) still compete for market share.

Friday 6 December 2024 - Sustainable Material Trends in 2025 for a Less Contaminated, More Circular World; PFAS Regulations and Alternatives for PFAS PFAS Water Treatment; Chemical Recycling of Plastics; Bioplastics

As governments stretch to meet their Paris Agreement goals and other sustainability targets, global demand for light-duty road freight is set to more than double between 2020 and 2050. A growing global population, rising income levels, and a booming e-commerce industry all factor into this increase in demand.

Wednesday 4 December 2024 - An introduction to the advanced carbon family, including graphene and CNTs; A critical assessment of existing and emerging manufacturing methods, including the use of green and waste feedstocks; An overview of the key markets that are driving growth of the principle nanocarbon markets, including commercial examples and pain points; Commentary on a 10-year market outlook for the nanomaterials

The development of autonomous buses and roboshuttles is likely to continue somewhat slowly due to a lack of funding and regulatory challenges. However, IDTechEx highlights the next stages of developments within their report, and with the already commercialized examples of autonomous city buses and minibusses, success in the industry is increasingly likely.

As the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) industries grow, requirements for the batteries that power them become more demanding. To achieve more energy-dense batteries that aren't unsustainably expensive, faster battery development is needed, as well as more efficient management, manufacturing, and recycling methods. Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in achieving these goals.

Across the globe, over 140 countries have set a net-zero target, with many committed to reaching net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. This Herculean task will require many emission reduction technologies in tandem - and the groundwork must be laid now. CCUS (carbon capture, utilization, and storage) solutions have been identified as one such vital tool with the ability to decarbonize existing industry assets.

Utilizing alternatives to helium where possible could allow for a greater conservation of helium, which could prove to be necessary for the market going forward. IDTechEx reports that since 2005, there have been 4 supply shortages of helium, each resulting in high price volatility, with the price of helium having almost doubled since 2021.

Thursday 5 December 2024 - Electric Light Commercial Vehicles: The Present and Future of Cargo; An overview of the global LCV industry; The role of regulation in LCV electrification; Key sales trends and manufacturers across global markets; Total costs of ownership (TCO) for eLCVs; Hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid LCVs

As the world grapples with the environmental impact of traditional plastics, bioplastics derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) and waste materials present a promising solution. This emerging sustainable market seeks to address two critical global challenges: reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing waste.

The Li-ion industry continues to innovate to reach higher energy densities, faster charge and higher rate capabilities, longer lifetimes, lower costs, and lower environmental impact from their production to better meet the demands of the markets and applications reliant on battery and energy storage technology.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have seen tremendous growth historically, but growth has slowed somewhat in 2024. The goal of automakers is to reduce the cost of making EVs, both to improve their profit margins on existing vehicles and to make lower-cost models more feasible.

Autonomous driving technologies have seemingly been on the horizon for the last decade, maybe more. Over the past four years, level 3 technologies have been certified for consumer use on public roads, hands-off/eyes-on driving has solidified as a market segment, and commercial driverless robotaxi services have become available to the public.

The scale of the challenges faced by electric aviation, with weight, range, ownership costs, and even carbon footprint, all need consideration. Despite this, IDTechEx believes that current technical trends combined with achievable business use cases will generate significant electric plane uptake in the future.

Tuesday 3 December 2024 - Introduction to the state of the wearable technology market in 2024; Global meta-trends and their impact on the wearable industry; Sensor innovations: including printed and quantum technologies; Flexible batteries for wearables?; Medical wearables: from sensors to actuators

How will thermal long-wave infrared (LWIR) cameras become a US$500m market for autonomous emergency braking (AEB)? Find out in this brief summary by IDTechEx Technology Analyst, John Li.

In this article, IDTechEx interrogates the state of the quantum technology market today, but then, crucially, how it is expected to evolve for growth across the next ten years.

Over the past couple of years, IDTechEx has reported on the emergence of commercial robotaxi services but has always needed to caveat this with the fact that they have been heavily restricted. Well, in 2024, the shackles are coming off, and the industry is getting ready for take-off.

Monday 2 December 2024 - Background on the hydrogen value chain, from production to end-use applications; Significant developments in low-carbon hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and industrial applications in late 2023 and 2024; Overview of various fuel cell technologies; Major trends for fuel cells in automotive and stationary power markets; Market outlook

Although graphene and carbon nanotubes have long been touted as "wonder materials" with the potential to address numerous global challenges, the initial excitement did not quickly lead to widespread commercial success. IDTechEx has closely monitored the nanocarbon market for over ten years, and this article will evaluate the application areas where graphene and CNTs are likely to achieve notable success in the next ten years.

Friday 22 November 2024 - Mobile Robotics: Emerging applications, challenges, innovative solutions, and the latest market developments; Service Robots: Different applications experience different growth rate; Collaborative Robots: Technologies and industrial news; Sensors for Robotics: An analysis of key sensors

Advanced semiconductor packaging is experiencing significant growth due to the interplay of technological, economic, and market forces. As silicon scaling approaches its limits, advanced packaging offers a viable alternative for boosting chip performance, particularly for high-performance computing (HPC) applications like AI and data centers, which demand increased computational power and bandwidth.