Global Technology Trends in June-2025: AI, Quantum, EVs, Space & Beyond

June 2025 marks a pivotal moment in the tech world, with transformative innovations unfolding across industries. From the AI boom supercharging software and chips, to EVs hitting record sales, to breakthroughs in biotech and space, the global technology landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace. In this report, we delve into the latest developments and expert insights across key sectors – Artificial Intelligence, Consumer Electronics, Quantum Computing, Blockchain/Web3, Biotechnology, Semiconductors, Renewable Energy/EVs, and Space – to paint a comprehensive picture of tech trends as of June 2025.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence continues to dominate tech headlines in 2025, accelerating innovation and economic growth. The global AI market is valued around $758 billion in 2025, with forecasts projecting a surge to $3.68 trillion by 2034 ahrefs.com ahrefs.com. Analysts compare AI’s impact to the Industrial Revolution – PwC estimates AI could boost global GDP by 15+% by 2035, reshaping the economy on a similar scale to 19th-century industrialization ahrefs.com. Crucially, generative AI and large language models exploded into the mainstream over the past two years, driving a 76% jump in generative AI spending in 2025 alone ahrefs.com. AI adoption is now widespread: 78% of companies use AI in at least one function (up sharply from last year) globenewswire.com, and enterprises are increasingly building “AI-first” products and services rather than adding AI as an afterthought globenewswire.com.

Key AI trends in mid-2025 include:

• Generative AI Everywhere: From content creation to code generation, generative AI tools are now widely adopted across industries for automation and design globenewswire.com. Tech giants have opened up sophisticated models via APIs and cloud platforms, fueling a boom in AI-driven startups.
• AI on the Edge: AI is moving on-device – for example, Apple’s latest software enables running an on-device large language model for Siri and apps, prioritizing privacy and offline capability apple.com theverge.com. Edge AI chips in smartphones, cameras, and IoT devices allow real-time processing without cloud latency globenewswire.com.
• Explainable & Ethical AI: Amid concerns over bias and “black box” algorithms, there’s a strong emphasis on AI ethics. Both regulators and industry groups push for transparency, bias mitigation, and accountability in AI systems globenewswire.com. For instance, the EU is advancing the AI Act, and American tech companies have even proposed a 10-year moratorium on new state-level AI regulations to develop consistent standards globenewswire.com.
• AI Hardware Boom: The AI wave is straining computing infrastructure, spurring huge demand for specialized AI chips (GPUs, TPUs, etc.). The AI semiconductor market is projected to exceed $150 billion in 2025, as data centers invest in high-performance processors for training AI models electronicsclap.com. This demand has sent semiconductor stocks soaring and led to global chip capacity expansions (see Semiconductor section).

Notably, big tech firms are racing to infuse AI across their product lines. At Apple’s June 2025 WWDC, the company unveiled a slew of AI-powered features – from Live Translation of messages and calls on iPhone (all processed on-device) to a new “Personal Voice” assistant that can answer questions about whatever is on your screen theverge.com theverge.com. Apple even opened its core on-device AI model to third-party developers, a significant move enabling new AI apps on Apple hardware theverge.com. Likewise, Google, Microsoft, and others are integrating generative AI into office software, search engines, and cloud services. As AI becomes ubiquitous, experts remain optimistic yet cautious. “AI will be the most transformative technology of the 21st century,” notes one tech CEO, but it “must respect human values” and privacy as it evolves staffingindustry.com. Overall, AI’s trajectory in 2025 is one of explosive growth matched with growing responsibility, as organizations strive to harness its benefits while managing risks.

Consumer Electronics and Wearables

The consumer tech sector in 2025 is characterized by incremental innovation in a maturing market, with pockets of excitement in wearables, AR/VR, and new device formats. Global smartphone shipments are essentially flat – 1.24 billion units forecast in 2025, up a mere 0.6% year-over-year reuters.com – as markets saturate and consumers hold onto phones longer. In fact, IDC slashed its 2025 phone growth forecast due to economic uncertainties and longer upgrade cycles reuters.com. Despite lukewarm volumes, leading manufacturers are differentiating with foldable screens, AI features, and better integration. Foldable smartphones are finally gaining traction, with an estimated 27.6 million foldables to ship in 2025, up ~70% CAGR since 2020 businesswire.com businesswire.com. These new form-factors indicate that hardware design is still evolving.

At the same time, wearables and mixed-reality devices are advancing. Smartwatch and earbud adoption remains strong, and companies are adding more health and AI capabilities. For example, Apple’s watchOS 26 introduces an AI-powered “Workout Buddy” coach to provide personalized fitness guidance on Apple Watch theverge.com. In AR/VR, Apple’s Vision Pro headset (launched in late 2024) is driving interest in “spatial computing.” In June 2025 Apple announced the Vision Pro will even support PlayStation VR2 game controllers, expanding its VR gaming ecosystem theverge.com. The Vision Pro and similar high-end AR/VR devices reflect a trend toward blending wearable tech with immersive content. Meta, Google, and others are likewise working on AR glasses and VR headsets – an evolving market expected to reach $200–300 billion by 2030 in value prnewswire.com.

Consumer electronics makers are also infusing AI and voice assistants deeper into devices. Smartphones, TVs, and appliances now commonly feature on-device AI for voice recognition, photography enhancements, and more. Apple’s 2025 iOS update, for instance, lets users long-press power buttons to query an AI assistant about whatever is on-screen, using an on-device ChatGPT integration theverge.com. This illustrates how AI has become a selling point for new gadgets, promising smarter user experiences. As Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi remarked, “the models that power Apple Intelligence are becoming more capable, and we’re integrating AI features in even more places… giving developers access to our on-device foundation model will ignite a wave of intelligent apps” apple.com.

Meanwhile, global competition in consumer tech remains fierce. Chinese brands (Xiaomi, Oppo, etc.) continue to offer feature-rich phones at aggressive prices, especially in emerging markets. Geopolitics are also influencing supply chains – with U.S.–China trade tensions, companies like Apple are diversifying production to India and Vietnam reuters.com. Overall, consumer devices in 2025 are improving incrementally in performance, cameras, and AI capabilities, even as the industry seeks the “next big thing” beyond the slab smartphone. Many see that next frontier in mixed reality and wearable computing – an area to watch closely as tech giants invest in glasses, headsets, and even brain-computer interfaces.

Quantum Computing

Quantum computing has made significant strides by mid-2025, transitioning from pure research toward early commercial prototypes. Governments and tech firms worldwide are pouring resources into quantum R&D, yielding tangible milestones in recent months. Notably, IBM and Japan’s RIKEN institute unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two deployed outside the US in June 2025 – a state-of-the-art quantum computer installation aimed at advancing research and workforce development in Japan newsroom.ibm.com. In Europe, the EU celebrated the launch of its first operational quantum computer: on June 23, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking inaugurated PIAST-Q, a 20-qubit trapped-ion system in Poland, marking a milestone in Europe’s quest for quantum sovereignty qt.eu qt.eu. “Today’s inauguration of PIAST-Q is a major step in Europe’s leap into the quantum era… demonstrating our commitment to building a world-class, sovereign quantum ecosystem,” said Anders Jensen of EuroHPC qt.eu.

Emerging economies are also joining the quantum race. India launched its first indigenous quantum computer in 2025 – a 25-qubit system (codenamed QpiAI-Indus) developed under India’s National Quantum Mission linkedin.com. India is coupling this with massive investments in classical supercomputing (deploying 34,000+ new GPUs for AI research) to build hybrid quantum-classical capabilities linkedin.com. These developments show how quantum tech is becoming a strategic priority for many nations, akin to the space race of decades past.

In the private sector, quantum startups and incumbents are hitting new performance records. For example, in May 2025, Quantinuum (a leading quantum hardware company) announced its System Model H2 achieved a Quantum Volume of 8,388,608 (2^23) – a new world record for quantum computational power quantinuum.com quantinuum.com. This 10x year-over-year improvement in QV indicates rapid progress in reducing error rates and scaling qubit connectivity. Other firms like Google and IBM are likewise pursuing error-corrected qubit prototypes, with Google targeting a “useful” error-corrected quantum cluster by 2029.

Importantly, quantum industry activity is not just about qubits – it’s also about business. The sector is seeing consolidation and investment in enabling technologies. In late June 2025, IonQ (a prominent quantum computing company) acquired Lightsynq, a startup specializing in quantum networking via synthetic diamonds e6.com. “Lightsynq’s acquisition by IonQ is a testament to the growing importance of diamond photonics and quantum interconnects for our future,” said Element Six CEO Siobhán Duffy, highlighting how quantum networking and interconnects are becoming crucial for scaling up quantum computers e6.com. Such deals underscore a maturing industry ecosystem, where hardware makers, software startups, and material science innovators are joining forces.

Looking forward, the quantum computing market, though nascent today (global revenue only around $0.5–1 billion), is expected to grow exponentially – some forecasts predict >$20 billion by 2030 as commercial deployments accelerate thequantuminsider.com. Driving this growth will be continued government support (the US, EU, and China all have multi-billion programs), as well as potential breakthroughs in fault-tolerance. Expert sentiment is cautiously optimistic: “Quantum computers won’t replace classical computers, but within a decade they could solve select problems that are virtually impossible today,” notes one MIT physicist. The rest of the 2020s will likely see hybrid approaches (quantum accelerators linked to supercomputers) tackling complex tasks in cryptography, materials design, and optimization. For now, 2025 stands as the year quantum computing turned a corner from lab curiosity to strategic technology, with real machines and real investments heralding the next computing revolution.

Blockchain and Web3

After surviving a volatile few years, the blockchain and Web3 sector in 2025 is refining its vision and steadily expanding beyond cryptocurrency hype. Major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have stabilized compared to the 2022 crash, and the focus has shifted to practical applications of decentralized tech. Institutional adoption of blockchain is rising: big finance is embracing crypto assets (e.g. multiple proposals for a U.S. Bitcoin ETF are in play), and enterprises are deploying private blockchains for supply chain, identity, and trade finance solutions. The regulatory landscape is also clarifying. In the EU, the landmark MiCA regulation for crypto-assets is coming into effect, providing a comprehensive framework for digital asset issuers and service providers. This regulatory clarity in Europe and elsewhere is expected to encourage more investment in compliant crypto projects.

Meanwhile, Web3 developers are building the next generation of decentralized web services. Key trends include:

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Maturity: DeFi platforms now hold tens of billions in assets, offering lending, trading, and yield services without traditional banks. Throughout 2025, DeFi protocols have focused on improving security (after past hacks) and user experience to reach a broader audience. Notably, some DeFi apps are blending with traditional finance – for example, tokenized real-world assets (like treasury bonds or real estate shares on blockchain) are a growing category, bridging crypto and mainstream finance.
• Evolution of Crypto Wallets: Crypto wallets are transforming into full-fledged “Web3 superapps.” Modern wallets now go beyond storing coins – they integrate features for one-click token swaps, NFT galleries, DeFi staking, and even identity management and messaging forbes.com. This consolidation is making it easier for everyday users to engage with Web3. “Wallets aren’t just for holding crypto anymore,” notes a Forbes Digital Assets report, “they’re becoming all-in-one portals combining finance, collectibles, and more” forbes.com.
• NFTs and the Creator Economy: The frenzy of 2021’s collectible NFTs has cooled, but non-fungible tokens are finding new utility. In 2025, NFTs are being used for event tickets, gaming items, digital fashion, and as credentials. Blockchain gaming is a bright spot – several upcoming games use NFTs to allow true player ownership of in-game assets, pointing toward a future “metaverse” economy. Brands and artists are also leveraging NFTs for fan engagement (e.g. token-gated experiences).
• Blockchain Infrastructure and Web3 Stack: Significant work is going into scaling and infrastructure – Layer-2 networks on Ethereum (like Optimism, Arbitrum) and new blockchains (like Solana, Polkadot) are improving transaction throughput and fees. Cross-chain bridges and interoperability protocols are another focus, aiming to connect the fragmented ecosystem. All this is making the decentralized web faster and more user-friendly.

Crucially, governments are exploring blockchain tech for public services. By mid-2025, nearly 130 countries are researching or piloting Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) atlanticcouncil.org. China’s digital yuan is the furthest along – in its pilot, 17 cities have seen ¥7 trillion (>$985B) in e-CNY transactions as of 2024 atlanticcouncil.org. Other examples include Hong Kong and Australia trialing cross-border CBDC transfers using blockchain networks thecryptobasic.com. These efforts could streamline payments and enhance financial inclusion if rolled out broadly. Additionally, blockchain is being used in areas like supply chain traceability (e.g. for verifying product origins and sustainability), digital identity (self-sovereign ID initiatives), and even voting systems (small-scale trials of blockchain voting continue in 2025).

While the “crypto winter” of prior years has tempered speculative excess, it also flushed out weak projects. What remains in 2025 is a leaner, more pragmatic blockchain sector. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies hovers in the trillions again (with Bitcoin around half its all-time high, oscillating in the $30k–$40k range). More importantly, venture funding is flowing into Web3 startups focused on utility – from decentralized social networks to blockchain-based cloud storage. Expert opinions strike a balance between enthusiasm and realism. Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin often emphasizes focusing on technology over price, noting that “the main question should be: Are we creating useful things for society?” Others, like venture capitalist Chris Dixon, remain bullish that Web3 will reinvent the internet’s backend, giving users greater ownership of data and digital value. With that ethos, the blockchain sector heads into late 2025 focused on building quietly – knowing that truly transformative applications (the “Web3 killer app”) may still be on the horizon, but laying the groundwork now for a more decentralized future.

Biotechnology and Health Tech

The biotech and health tech field is experiencing a renaissance in 2025, as breakthroughs in gene editing, pharmaceuticals, and digital health converge. One of the most headline-grabbing developments came in May 2025: scientists reported the world’s first personalized CRISPR gene therapy successfully administered to a patient nature.com. In this landmark case, a one-year-old boy with a rare genetic disease received a custom CRISPR treatment correcting his unique DNA mutation, and early results show the disease’s progression has halted nature.com. This “CRISPR-for-one” therapy, while not yet scalable, demonstrates the astounding potential of gene editing to cure previously incurable illnesses. It follows on the heels of several CRISPR-based therapies entering clinical trials for conditions like sickle cell disease and certain cancers, heralding a new era of genomic medicine.

Another revolutionary trend is the synergy of AI and drug discovery. Pharma companies and startups are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to design new molecules and repurpose drugs faster than ever. A milestone was reached in June 2025 when Insilico Medicine announced Phase IIa clinical trial results for rentosertib, an AI-designed drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The trial showed rentosertib significantly improved lung function in patients (a +98 mL FVC increase in the high-dose group vs. continued decline on placebo) insilico.com insilico.com. This marks the first AI-discovered molecule to demonstrate efficacy in mid-stage human trials, a proof-of-concept that AI can accelerate pharmaceutical R&D. “These results demonstrate the transformative potential of AI in drug discovery, paving the way for faster and more innovative therapeutic advancements,” said Insilico’s CEO Alex Zhavoronkov insilico.com. Following this success, regulators and researchers alike are paying close attention to AI-driven drug candidates – dozens more are in the pipeline for diseases ranging from COVID-19 to cancer.

In the vaccine domain, the mRNA technology that proved its worth in COVID vaccines is now being applied to other diseases, notably cancer. Early 2025 brought encouraging news from cancer vaccine trials: an mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer showed robust T-cell responses in about half of patients, with some seeing no tumor recurrence for 18+ months nature.com. Likewise, mRNA-based personalized vaccines for melanoma (from Moderna/Merck) and other cancers are in Phase II trials, with experts calling the results “unprecedented clinical validation in 2024–2025” for RNA therapies pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. If these results hold in larger studies, mRNA cancer vaccines could become a paradigm shift in oncology – training a patient’s immune system to target their specific tumor mutations.

Beyond therapeutics, digital health and medtech continue to grow in influence. Telemedicine usage remains high post-pandemic, and remote patient monitoring via wearable devices is increasingly common for chronic disease management. Smartwatches that can track ECG, blood oxygen, and even blood glucose (non-invasively) are either on the market or in advanced development. AI is also being embedded in healthcare workflows: from AI radiology tools that assist in reading medical images to machine learning models that predict patient deterioration, helping clinicians intervene earlier. Regulators like the FDA have been approving an increasing number of AI-based medical devices. However, they also urge careful validation – aligning with a broader industry push for “explainable AI” in healthcare to ensure algorithms are safe and unbiased when dealing with life-and-death decisions.

Importantly, biotech investment and market growth remain strong. The gene editing industry, for example, is not just about medicine – CRISPR is being applied in agriculture (engineered climate-resilient crops, gene-edited livestock) and industrial biotech (enzyme engineering, biofuels). Analysts project the gene editing market to expand at double-digit rates through the decade, finding “new uses in every area of biotechnology” and evolving into a cornerstone technology for sustainability globenewswire.com globenewswire.com. Overall biotech funding in 2025 has recovered from a brief dip in 2022–23; numerous startups in cell therapy, genomics, and synthetic biology are securing capital, though investors are more discerning. As one venture firm partner put it, “The era of overhyping platforms is over – now we expect data.” This sentiment is echoed by scientists who caution that while CRISPR and other tools are powerful, “we must not overpromise; rigorous trials are needed to prove long-term safety and efficacy” statnews.com.

In summary, 2025’s health tech landscape is brimming with optimism grounded in tangible progress. Life-saving therapies that were theoretical a decade ago – edited genes, AI-crafted drugs, tailor-made vaccines – are now within reach. With close collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and regulators, these advances hold promise to usher in a healthier future. Yet stakeholders also stress the need for equitable access (so that innovations benefit all populations) and prudent oversight to navigate the complex ethical terrain accompanying human-genome editing and AI in medicine.

Semiconductors and the Chip Industry

The semiconductor industry is riding a fresh wave of growth in 2025, fueled by insatiable demand for computing power – especially from AI. After a cyclical downturn in 2022, the chip sector rebounded strongly in 2023–24 and is now hitting new highs. Global semiconductor sales are projected to reach $697 billion in 2025, an all-time record (up from ~$627 billion in 2024) deloitte.com. The industry is on track for the long-term goal of ~$1 trillion annual sales by 2030, implying ~7.5% CAGR deloitte.com. This boom is largely driven by explosive growth in data center and AI accelerator chips, even as traditional segments like smartphones and PCs are relatively flat. In fact, the stock market capitalization of the top 10 chip companies nearly doubled in the year leading up to 2025 – hitting $6.5 trillion by late 2024 – with AI-focused chipmakers like NVIDIA leading the charge deloitte.com. Companies tied to generative AI workloads dramatically outperformed those reliant on slower markets (like mobile), underscoring how AI is the new engine of the semiconductor economy deloitte.com.

High-performance computing (HPC) and AI chips are in such demand that supply is straining to keep up. Top chip foundries (TSMC, Samsung) and equipment makers are racing to expand capacity for advanced nodes. According to SEMI, capacity for leading-edge process nodes (7 nm and below) will increase ~69% from 2024 to 2028 to support AI needs semi.org semi.org. By 2028, the industry expects 1.4 million wafers/month of 7 nm-and-under capacity, up from ~850k wafers/month in 2024 semi.org semi.org. “AI continues to be a transformative force in the semiconductor industry, driving significant expansion of advanced manufacturing capacity,” notes SEMI CEO Ajit Manocha semi.org. Foundries are not only building new fabs but also equipping them with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and other cutting-edge tools to print ever-smaller transistors. In fact, chipmakers plan to introduce 2 nm process technology by 2026, and are already developing 1.4 nm and beyond for the late 2020s semi.org semi.org.

This capex super-cycle is truly global. The U.S., Europe, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and India are all injecting subsidies and investments under “Chips Act” initiatives to localize production. The U.S. CHIPS Act has spurred construction of new fabs in Arizona, Texas, Ohio and more. Europe’s Chips Act similarly is funding expansions by Intel, STMicro, and others in the EU. India, notably, announced a $10 billion incentive program and in 2025 confirmed 6 new semiconductor fabs to be built, including a partnership between Foxconn and an Indian conglomerate linkedin.com. These moves reflect not just economic ambition but also geopolitical strategy – ensuring secure chip supply chains in light of U.S.–China tech tensions. China, for its part, is doubling down on indigenous semiconductor development after facing export restrictions on advanced chips. Chinese foundry SMIC reportedly achieved a prototype 7 nm process and is pushing towards 5 nm with heavy state support, though still lagging leaders by a few generations.

On the consumer end of the chip spectrum, there are mixed fortunes. Smartphone and PC processors – once the bread-and-butter of the industry – are in a saturation phase. As noted, smartphone unit sales are nearly flat in 2025 reuters.com, and the PC market remains softer than its pandemic peak. IDC expects only low-single-digit growth in these segments through mid-decade reuters.com. This has led companies like Intel to diversify – investing in foundry services and automotive chips – and smartphone chip designers (Qualcomm, MediaTek) to pivot toward IoT and automotive as well. Automotive semiconductors are a bright spot: modern cars require dozens of chips, and the transition to electric vehicles and autonomous driving is dramatically increasing silicon content per vehicle. Auto chip demand (for power management, sensors, ADAS systems, etc.) is growing ~10%+ annually, and automakers are forming direct partnerships with chip firms to secure supplies.

One cannot discuss semiconductors in 2025 without mentioning NVIDIA’s dominance in AI computing. The company’s GPUs (like the A100 and H100 series) became the workhorses of AI model training, leading to record revenues and a trillion-dollar valuation. In 2025, NVIDIA and competitors like AMD, Intel, and a host of startups (Graphcore, Cerebras, etc.) are all launching next-gen AI accelerators. These chips feature specialized architectures (tensor cores, wafer-scale engines, etc.) to handle machine learning tasks more efficiently. For example, AMD’s Instinct MI300X GPU and Google’s TPU v5 are among the new entrants challenging NVIDIA’s lead semi.org. We also see new entrants such as AWS’s Trainium2 custom chip for cloud AI, highlighting how big cloud providers are designing their own silicon crn.com. The AI chip competition is fierce, but the pie is large and expanding – evidenced by the AI chip market stat above and the fact that chip shortages for AI GPUs have been a bottleneck for some cloud services in 2024–25. This prompted investments not just in chips but in advanced packaging (like chiplet architectures and 3D stacking) to keep Moore’s Law going.

In summary, the semiconductor sector in mid-2025 is thriving on innovation and hefty investment, although not all subsectors equally. The overall narrative is that “silicon is the new oil” – chips are strategic assets powering AI, defense, communications, and more. Nations are treating chip capability as a matter of national security (with export controls on one side and huge subsidies on the other). Industry experts note that talent is a looming challenge: a shortage of skilled chip engineers could reach 1 million unfilled roles by 2030, according to some estimates tomshardware.com. To address this, companies and governments are funding semiconductor education programs to cultivate the next generation of chip designers and fabrication specialists. Despite these challenges, the outlook remains very upbeat. As Deloitte’s 2025 report put it, “Chip sales are set to soar in 2025, led by generative AI and data center build-outs” deloitte.com – a trend that shows no sign of abating as the world becomes ever more digital.

Renewable Energy Tech and EVs

Source: IEA Global EV Outlook 2025.
Clean energy technologies are surging worldwide in 2025, driven by climate imperatives and improved economics. The International Energy Agency reports that global energy investment will hit a record $3.3 trillion in 2025, with two-thirds (around $2.2 trillion) going into clean energy (renewables, nuclear, grids, storage, EVs) rather than fossil fuels reuters.com reuters.com. Solar power is the star of the show – annual solar investment is expected to reach $450 billion in 2025, making it the largest area of energy spending overall reuters.com. This funding is translating into massive capacity additions: new solar PV installations are at all-time highs (2024 alone saw an estimated ~300 GW of solar added globally), and solar is on track to become the leading source of new electricity generation each year. Wind power investment remains strong too, especially with offshore wind picking up. At the same time, battery energy storage is booming as a crucial enabling technology – 2025 will see about $66 billion invested in batteries (utility-scale and EV batteries), a 50%+ jump, to help buffer the intermittency of renewables reuters.com. The growing deployment of large lithium-ion battery farms is helping grids balance solar and wind output, even as research into next-gen batteries (like solid-state and flow batteries) continues.

As a result of these trends, renewables are rapidly increasing their share of electricity generation. In 2024, clean power (renewables + nuclear) exceeded 40% of global electricity output for the first time ember-energy.org. Wind and solar alone accounted for about 15% of global generation and climbing. The IEA notes that renewables met virtually all global electricity demand growth in 2024, meaning fossil-based generation was roughly flat – a major inflection point towards decarbonization iea.org. Some regions see even higher shares: Europe, for instance, got about 50% of its electricity from renewables in 2024 (led by countries like Germany and Spain). To integrate these high shares, investments in grid infrastructure are increasingly critical. However, grid spending (~$400 billion/year) is not yet growing as fast as generation investment reuters.com. The IEA warns that unless grid investments accelerate (and permitting for new transmission lines is streamlined), grid bottlenecks could slow the clean energy transition reuters.com. Governments are responding with plans to upgrade and expand transmission – e.g. the U.S. aims to build massive interstate HVDC lines, and China continues to roll out ultra-high-voltage lines connecting windy/sunny interior regions with coastal demand centers.

On the electric mobility front, 2025 is shaping up to be a breakout year for electric vehicles. EV sales are shattering records – more than 17 million EVs (battery-electric and plug-in hybrid) were sold globally in 2024, representing ~20% of all new cars sold weforum.org. And 2025 is on pace to far exceed that: forecasts show over 20 million EV sales in 2025 (about 25% of new car sales) weforum.org weforum.org. In other words, 1 in 4 new cars worldwide this year will be electric, a stunning leap from just 4–5 years ago when that figure was under 5%. “Our data shows that, despite uncertainties, electric cars remain on a strong growth trajectory globally,” says IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol weforum.org. China continues to lead the EV boom – in 2024, EVs made up nearly 50% of new car sales in China, with 11 million+ EVs sold in China alone (equal to the entire world’s EV sales in 2022) zecar.com. Aggressive domestic competition and policy support in China (like purchase incentives and license plate restrictions on gas cars) have created an ultra-competitive market driving EV prices down. Europe is the second-largest EV market – EVs are roughly 20% of sales across the EU, with some countries like Norway above 80%. The United States lags with around 8–10% EV share in 2024, but even in the U.S. sales are rising, and federal incentives from the 2022 IRA law are spurring new EV and battery factories.

Why are EVs taking off? Several factors converged: battery costs have continued to fall (lithium prices spiked in 2022 but new mining and refining capacity have since stabilized prices), leading to more affordable models. In many markets, EVs have reached purchase price parity with gasoline cars (especially when considering total cost of ownership) zecar.com zecar.com. For example, in China two-thirds of EVs sold last year were cheaper upfront than equivalent gas cars zecar.com. Another factor is the expansion of charging infrastructure – by mid-2025 there are over 3 million public EV chargers worldwide, and investments in fast-charging networks along highways (like Tesla’s Supercharger network and initiatives by automaker alliances) are alleviating range anxiety. Additionally, more consumers cite environmental concerns and performance benefits (EVs have instant torque and lower maintenance) as reasons to switch. Automakers have responded by offering a flood of new EV models in all segments, from pickup trucks to luxury SUVs to $5,000 mini-EVs in China. In fact, over 500 different EV models are on the market globally. Many legacy automakers (GM, Ford, VW, etc.) have announced plans to phase out combustion engines in the 2030s, signaling their full commitment to an electric future.

It’s not just personal cars – electric buses, trucks, and two-wheelers are also gaining ground. Nearly half of the world’s transit buses sold in 2024 were electric (thanks largely to Chinese e-bus manufacturers), improving urban air quality. In the freight sector, global sales of electric trucks jumped 80% in 2024, albeit from a small base zecar.com. China again leads here; in Europe and the U.S., 2025–2026 will see many heavy-duty e-truck models hitting the market as battery ranges improve. On the smaller end, electric scooters and bikes are exploding in popularity across Asia and Europe, providing low-cost mobility and cutting pollution in cities.

While the trajectory for EVs is extremely positive, experts flag a few challenges and wildcards. One is supply chain dependence for critical minerals – EV batteries rely on lithium, nickel, cobalt, rare earths, and more. Today, China dominates much of the battery mineral processing and cell production. Western countries are striving to localize more of the battery supply chain (e.g. new lithium mines in Australia and Canada, battery gigafactories in the U.S. and Europe), but it will take time to diversify fully. Birol noted the need for more players: “If you want to see more diversification in electric car manufacturing, other countries need to become significant players in the game” zecar.com. Another challenge is ensuring the electric grid can handle the additional load from millions of EVs charging – smart charging (time-shifting to off-peak hours) and vehicle-to-grid technology are being deployed to mitigate impacts. Finally, continued innovation is needed in battery technology (to improve range and charging speed) and charging infrastructure coverage (to eliminate any remaining range anxiety, especially in developing countries or rural areas). The good news is that R&D is very active: solid-state batteries with higher energy density are in advanced testing and could debut in cars later this decade, and ultra-fast chargers (350 kW and higher) are cutting charging times towards 10-15 minutes for an 80% charge.

Beyond EVs, the broader clean tech landscape in 2025 includes exciting developments in energy storage, hydrogen, and climate tech. Utility-scale battery projects are breaking records (e.g. multiple 1 GWh+ battery farms are under construction in California, Europe, and Australia). Green hydrogen is another area to watch – over 100 pilot projects worldwide are testing using renewable electricity to split water and produce hydrogen as a carbon-free fuel for industry and heavy transport. Costs for green hydrogen are slowly falling, and some expect it to start replacing fossil-derived hydrogen by late decade in sectors like fertilizer production and steelmaking. Carbon capture and sustainable aviation fuel are also advancing with government support (for instance, the U.S. and EU both launched multi-billion funds for carbon capture demos).

All told, renewable energy and cleantech in 2025 are firmly in a phase of exponential growth and mainstreaming. Solar and wind are now the cheapest sources of new power in most regions, EVs are increasingly the default choice for car buyers, and investors are pouring capital into climate tech startups. The IEA’s World Energy Investment report notes that since 2021, investment in clean energy has outpaced fossil fuels by a widening margin reuters.com reuters.com – a stark reversal from a decade ago. This doesn’t mean the transition is complete (fossil fuels still supplied ~80% of global energy in 2024), but the momentum is unmistakable. With continued policy support – such as the EU’s Fit for 55 package, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act incentives, and China’s clean energy targets – the world is on course for peak global CO2 emissions soon. In fact, data hints that China, the world’s largest emitter, may have seen a slight emissions decline in early 2025 weforum.org, raising hopes its emissions could peak before 2030. Challenges like energy equity and resilience (e.g. ensuring developing nations can also leapfrog to clean tech) remain, but mid-2025 shows more progress on the climate and clean energy front than ever before.

Space Technology

Space is no longer the sole domain of superpower governments – 2025 finds a vibrant space sector with contributions from many nations and private companies, and a burgeoning space economy that’s growing rapidly. According to research by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey, the global space economy – comprising satellites, launch services, space-enabled services, etc. – is worth about $630 billion in 2023 and could reach $1 trillion by 2030, and $1.8 trillion by 2035 airport-technology.com weforum.org. That implies space is set to triple in value within a dozen years, making it one of the fastest-growing industries (nearly twice the rate of overall GDP growth) weforum.org. Space technologies are becoming as ubiquitous to everyday life as semiconductors, the WEF report notes, as satellite communications, GPS navigation, and Earth observation data integrate into countless business sectors weforum.org weforum.org.

One major trend is the unprecedented pace of satellite launches, especially into low Earth orbit (LEO). By end of this decade, the number of active satellites could reach 50,000 or more, up from roughly 8,000 in orbit today interactive.satellitetoday.com. Companies are deploying mega-constellations of satellites to provide global internet (SpaceX’s Starlink has over 4,000 satellites up and eventually 12,000+ planned; Amazon’s Project Kuiper is set to begin launching its first of 3,000+ satellites in 2025 interactive.satellitetoday.com). These constellations aim to deliver broadband to even the most remote areas, effectively blanketing the Earth in connectivity. They are also spurring growth in the satellite manufacturing industry and spinoffs in ground equipment. However, this rapid proliferation raises concerns about orbital debris and congestion – thus, 2025 is seeing increased focus on space traffic management and debris mitigation technologies (like plans to use cleanup satellites or drag sails to de-orbit defunct satellites).

The launch sector is equally dynamic. 2023 and 2024 both set records for number of orbital launches globally, and 2025 is on track to continue that trend (potentially 200+ successful launches in the year). SpaceX’s extremely high launch cadence with its Falcon 9 fleet – often multiple launches per week – has been a key driver, delivering satellites for itself and many customers. Other launch providers are coming online too: United Launch Alliance (ULA) is poised to launch its new Vulcan rocket (successor to Atlas V) for the first time in 2025, and Blue Origin’s large New Glenn rocket is also anticipated to debut soon interactive.satellitetoday.com interactive.satellitetoday.com. These heavy-lift vehicles will provide alternatives to SpaceX for government and commercial missions. In the small-launcher segment, Rocket Lab continues regular Electron launches, and is developing Neutron, a medium-lift partially reusable rocket arriving in 2025–26 interactive.satellitetoday.com. In Asia, India’s space program is notable – ISRO is testing a new SSLV small launcher, and is aggressively pursuing cost-effective launch solutions (having already demonstrated low-cost Mars and Moon missions). Japan and Europe faced some launch setbacks (e.g. Europe’s Ariane 6 is delayed to late 2025), but are working to restore independent access to space. Overall, the launch market is getting more crowded, and some consolidation is expected as not every startup will survive – but for now, demand (especially to deploy satellites) is high enough to support many players.

Perhaps the biggest potential disruptor in launch is SpaceX’s Starship. In 2025, SpaceX has been conducting test flights of Starship, the fully reusable 120-metre tall rocket designed to eventually carry 100+ tons to orbit. After some explosive test launches in 2023–24, Starship is edging closer to operational status. The FAA might license up to 25 Starship launches per year starting in late 2025 interactive.satellitetoday.com. If/when Starship becomes reliable, it promises to slash launch costs by an order of magnitude, potentially under $100/kg. This could enable entirely new industries in space (from bulk payload delivery to the Moon/Mars, to space solar power satellites, to large-scale space tourism). As a WEF space expert noted, “Starship will be an important disruptor… offering huge up-mass and down-mass capacity at unprecedented cost levels” interactive.satellitetoday.com. SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk has grand plans: in addition to using Starship for the Artemis program (lunar lander variant) and Starlink deployment, he has floated a Starship cargo mission to Mars in 2025 as a test for eventual crewed missions farnboroughspaceshow.com. It remains to be seen if that Mars test launch will occur on that timeline, but the ambition underscores how interplanetary travel is moving from science fiction to concrete goal-setting. SpaceX’s progress has also pushed others – for example, China is developing its own fully reusable methane-fueled rocket (Long March 9 variant) targeting the late 2020s, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn is partially reusable, aiming to recover its first stage like Falcon 9.

Speaking of Moon and Mars ambitions: we are in the midst of a new lunar exploration wave. NASA’s Artemis program is leading the way for the U.S. and partners. Artemis II, a crewed mission to orbit the Moon, is now expected in 2025 (after a slight delay from 2024) farnboroughspaceshow.com. This mission will be the first to carry astronauts around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, testing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with humans aboard. If successful, it sets the stage for Artemis III, the mission aiming to land astronauts on the lunar south pole – currently planned for 2026 farnboroughspaceshow.com. Artemis III will involve astronauts spending about a week on the Moon’s surface, scouting for water ice and testing technologies for sustaining a human presence. Notably, SpaceX’s Starship is slated to serve as the lunar lander for Artemis III, a bold choice that depends on Starship’s readiness. NASA is also cultivating a broader lunar ecosystem: numerous robotic landers (through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program) are set to deliver science instruments and supplies to the Moon in 2025–26, paving the way for human landings.

Other countries are not standing idle. China has a robust lunar program – it completed its own space station in low Earth orbit (Tiangong) in 2022 and is now turning attention to the Moon. In 2025, China is debuting new reusable rocket prototypes and preparing for Chang’e 7, a complex mission to the Moon’s south pole by 2026 to survey resources farnboroughspaceshow.com farnboroughspaceshow.com. China has announced plans for a joint China-Russia International Lunar Research Station by the 2030s, and aims for a crewed lunar landing by around 2030. India made history in 2023 by landing Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar south pole; building on that, India’s ISRO is launching Gaganyaan, its first human spaceflight program. Gaganyaan will have uncrewed test flights in 2024–25, with the goal of sending Indian astronauts to orbit by late 2025 farnboroughspaceshow.com. If successful, India would become the fourth nation to launch humans to space. These accomplishments reflect a democratization of space capability – no longer just the US and Russia, but a broader set of nations achieving human spaceflight and interplanetary exploration.

The commercialization of low Earth orbit is another key theme. With the International Space Station planned for retirement by 2030, private companies are developing successor platforms. For example, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin (along with partners like Boeing) is working on Orbital Reef, a commercial space station that could serve as a mixed-use business park in orbit by late this decade farnboroughspaceshow.com. While Orbital Reef’s timeline has been a bit quiet, progress is expected to ramp up by 2025–26 with module development and perhaps test launches farnboroughspaceshow.com. Other groups (e.g. Axiom Space) are planning their own commercial station modules – Axiom is already flying private missions to the ISS and aims to attach its first module to the ISS by 2025 as a stepping stone to a standalone station. Space tourism also continues: companies like SpaceX (with its Crew Dragon), Blue Origin (suborbital New Shepard flights), and Virgin Galactic are flying paying customers. In 2024, SpaceX’s Inspiration Mars private mission – sending a crew including Dennis Tito on a flyby around Mars – was announced for the late 2020s, showing the ambition of ultra-wealthy adventurers knows few bounds.

On the space science and technology front, there are numerous notable developments around 2025. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (operational since 2022) has been returning stunning findings about exoplanets and distant galaxies. Looking ahead, NASA selected the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for launch in 2027, which will further advance cosmic surveys. In planetary science: Mars exploration continues with Perseverance rover drilling samples that a future NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return mission (planned ~2028) will bring back to Earth. New missions launching in 2025 include ESA’s JUICE (to Jupiter’s moons, launched 2023, en route) and NASA’s Dragonfly (launch 2027 to Saturn’s moon Titan). Closer to now, NASA’s Psyche mission launched in late 2023 is on its way to a metal asteroid, arriving 2029. Asteroid defense got a boost from NASA’s successful DART impact test in 2022; by 2025, the results show we can alter asteroid trajectories – a significant capability for planetary protection.

Back on Earth, space-based services are becoming ever more vital. Satellite broadband is connecting remote communities, IoT satellite networks are managing cargo fleets and environmental sensors, and Earth-observation satellites (like Planet’s daily imaging constellation and new NASA/ESA climate-monitoring sats) provide critical data on deforestation, ice melt, and weather. The integration of AI with satellite data is enabling faster insights (for example, using AI to analyze imagery for disaster response or crop health). Governments are also leveraging space assets for security – e.g. the U.S. Space Force’s investments in a “proliferated LEO” missile tracking constellation that uses dozens of small satellites for global coverage interactive.satellitetoday.com interactive.satellitetoday.com. This proliferation makes the system more resilient and harder to disable, reflecting a doctrine shift towards many distributed satellites instead of a few big ones.

The challenges in space are not to be overlooked. Orbital debris is a ticking concern; the 2021 Russian ASAT test and others have added thousands of debris pieces. The global community is working on norms like banning destructive ASAT tests (a UN resolution to that effect was backed by the U.S. and others interactive.satellitetoday.com). Active debris removal missions are being prototyped – for instance, a European mission plans to grab and deorbit a defunct satellite in 2026. Space traffic management protocols are urgently needed as well; by 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce is gearing up to take on a civilian role in tracking space objects and issuing conjunction warnings (taking over some duties from the military) interactive.satellitetoday.com. International coordination through bodies like the UN’s Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is slowly progressing on space sustainability guidelines.

Finally, experts are increasingly talking about the long-term vision of space industrialization. The late 2020s and 2030s could see the beginnings of space mining (companies eyeing water ice on the Moon or minerals on asteroids), manufacturing of high-value products in microgravity (like ultra-pure pharmaceuticals or fiber optics), and even settlements beyond Earth. Elon Musk routinely speaks of creating a self-sustaining city on Mars by 2050, while others focus on establishing a permanent Moon base that could tap lunar resources (e.g. water ice for fuel). While these remain speculative today, the steady progress in launch cost reduction and technology means they’re no longer pure fantasy. As the WEF’s space report highlights, over 60% of the growth in the space economy by 2035 will be driven by non-traditional industries – agriculture, transportation, consumer goods, and others leveraging space data and infrastructure weforum.org weforum.org. In short, space is becoming an extension of our economic sphere.

In conclusion, by mid-2025 the space sector is a bustling arena of innovation, commercialization, and international competition/cooperation. We are witnessing the dawn of a truly multiplanetary civilization’s groundwork: internet from the heavens, a return to the Moon, robots on Mars, and industries starting to expand beyond Earth. The next decade will reveal whether we can manage this growth sustainably and collaboratively, or if new conflicts and challenges will emerge in the “final frontier.” But for now, the outlook is exciting – humanity’s presence in space is larger and more impactful than ever, marking 2025 as a key waypoint on our journey to the stars.

Sources: ahrefs.com ahrefs.com theverge.com globenewswire.com globenewswire.com reuters.com theverge.com theverge.com linkedin.com qt.eu qt.eu e6.com quantinuum.com weforum.org weforum.org reuters.com reuters.com deloitte.com deloitte.com semi.org semi.org zecar.com zecar.com weforum.org weforum.org