The technology industry has the capability to start making a genuine impact.
By Manish Gupta
As recovery ambitions and investments lead to vital digital transformation, global collaboration, determination, and collective innovation must be harnessed to turn the vision for a better and more equitable world into a reality. The consequences of today’s decisions will impact generations to come, and we owe it to them to build societies and economies fit for digital natives.
Strong collaboration needed
There are plenty of challenges along this path of recovery. The WEF Global Risks 2022 report forecasted that by 2024 the global economy will be 2.3% smaller than it would have been without the pandemic. That’s without considering the impact of current geopolitical uncertainties. But tech and digital-led businesses can help reduce this impact, creating jobs and economic opportunity across the world.
This will be particularly important as we adapt to meet the needs of a world engulfed in a climate crisis. The annual Global Trends Report by the United Nations found that nearly
5 million people in India were internally displaced due to climate change and disasters in 2021. By 2050, the number is projected to reach around 1.2 billion people globally.
The challenge is huge, but as we learned with Covid-19, when we truly apply ourselves to a global problem – technology can be a great catalyst.
Tech-enabled solutions
The technology industry has the capability to start making a genuine impact. Artificial Intelligence can help transform healthcare, and edge computing can unleash the full power of IoT for environmental monitoring and climate modelling, transport, and sustainable resource management. And with 5G connectivity rolling out in many countries, the possibilities are endless – particularly when built on a solid foundation of cyber resiliency and data storage.
The increased demand for connectivity will require more data transfer power akin to 5G. Intelligent platforms at edge and faster network, together with varying but connected systems will enable huge amounts of data to be processed in real-time— boosting data-based decision-making.
More importantly, edge computing will play a crucial role in enabling digital transformation on a sustainable pathway, helping reduce global emissions by up to 15% by 2030. From energy distribution to food provisioning, IoT applications powered by 5G offer many sustainable solutions.
Leveraging 5G connectivity, IoT and data analytics innovations can provide critical information that will enable crowd management and ensure smarter governance – helping make better decisions and deliver a better quality of life. But building 5G networks is an undertaking that requires public and private support for new infrastructure, devices, and services. Also, despite the premium cost, it’s critical to future-proof the economy and sustain competitiveness. Further, 5G’s open innovation platform will enable us to move closer to the Digital India vision.
As we enter the implementation stage of our recovery – partnership and a shared vision are key. Only by working collaboratively can we make recovery a reality, and deliver a digital-first economy, underpinned by sustainability, skills, and inclusivity.
The writer is VP & GM, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies India