8 technologies, '3Cs' and one new innovation paradigm: How converging tech is redefining value chains

We are living through a pivotal moment in technological history — one defined not by isolated breakthroughs, but by what we describe in our Technology Convergence Report as a “new innovation paradigm”.

Why does that matter? Historically, we’ve celebrated inventions like the steam engine or the internet as singular achievements. But in reality, they emerged from the intersection of earlier technologies, combining over time to create world-changing shifts. Today, a similar pattern is unfolding - but faster and at a greater scale.

As multiple foundational technologies mature simultaneously, they’re creating what the report calls “unprecedented business opportunities” for those who can harness their combined potential. Produced by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Capgemini, the report offers a systems-based understanding of innovation to help organizations navigate a fragmented tech landscape and take advantage.

So what are these foundational technologies? And what does their convergence mean for the future of business, industry, and markets?

The report identifies eight powerful technology domains that, together, deliver value no single innovation could achieve alone:

Within these, the report identifies 23 key combination patterns that feature both established applications and significant recent breakthroughs. They’re listed in the graphic below.

Importantly, it’s within these subdomains that the real convergence is happening. Take AI and quantum technologies, for example. While we often say they are combining, it’s more accurate to say that their sub-components – such as machine learning, quantum algorithms, and quantum computing – are the elements truly coming together.

The combinations above have the potential to shape the future of innovation and create strategic opportunities across multiple domains through convergence.

The report’s 3C Framework offers a lens for organizations through which they can identify the technology pairings that best align with their core capabilities.

It explores how technology can create value as well as generate new market openings in three linked stages:

So, what about firms already at the cutting edge of this technological convergence? The report highlights examples of organizations around the world already leveraging this new paradigm to create business value.

Electric vehicles offer a powerful example of the impact of compounding (the third C of the framework). Initial adoption faced challenges associated with high vehicle costs, limited ranges and insufficient charging infrastructure.

However, in the years since, battery costs have declined by some 90%, charging networks have expanded and regulation has supported adoption.

The report notes how businesses and organizations that spotted the compounding dynamics early were able to secure advantageous positions and cement these advantages as the market has matured.

As industrial robotics mature and deliver diminishing returns, companies are shifting beyond hardware towards integrated, intelligent systems. Blue Ocean Robotics exemplifies this move, embedding AI and spatial computing into its offerings to evolve from a component supplier to a full-service innovation partner – boosting customer revenue and strengthening strategic ties.

Breakthroughs in vision-language-action models, spatial intelligence and systems integration are unlocking new potential in humanoid robotics. Robots can now:

Companies across sectors – consumer electronics, drones, autonomous vehicles – are leveraging existing capabilities to build humanoid platforms suited for unstructured environments like homes, warehouses and hospitals.

Example: Xiaomi draws on its expertise in miniaturization, UI/UX and smart devices to create humanoid robots with intuitive interfaces connected to home ecosystems.

Digital Twin Ecosystems combine IoT sensors, physics-based simulations, and AI-powered analytics to create smart, real-time virtual copies of physical systems. Advances in sensor networks and AI simulation systems are boosting digital twins, helping them deliver more impact than ever.

The result? Increased operational efficiency and expanded applications in sectors from aerospace to healthcare. Siemens, along with partners like NVIDIA, AWS and SONY, is developing immersive, physics-based environments where products, production lines and infrastructure can be accurately simulated and tested. This approach helps improve energy efficiency, speed product development, reduce waste and build more resilient systems – paving the way for the emerging industrial metaverse of interconnected digital twins, the report says.

Example: Natilus uses Siemens’ immersive design tools to bring full-scale aircraft models into collaborative XR environments, helping teams work together in real time and speed up design cycles.

By combining quantum computing, which offers powerful new capabilities like solving complex problems beyond classical reach, with classical systems known for their stability and maturity, this approach enables practical, immediate applications that leverage the best of both worlds. It allows organizations to tap into quantum’s potential without sacrificing the reliability and scalability of existing classical infrastructure. This hybrid model is opening new frontiers across industries such as finance and molecular simulation.

Example: In the chemicals and materials sector, Bosch and IBM are collaborating to develop a hybrid quantum-classical system that models complex materials with greater accuracy. This breakthrough has potential applications in renewable energy, electric mobility and MRI technology.

Advances in engineered materials – ranging from self-healing and biofabricated materials to thermoelectrics and biocompatible implants – are transforming product performance, sustainability and efficiency across industries. Powered by AI, this field is enabling novel applications and accelerating convergence with other technologies, from energy storage to medical innovation.

Materials informatics combines predictive modelling and transformer-based AI to help researchers explore virtual material combinations before lab synthesis. This accelerates R&D cycles, driving innovations in advanced manufacturing, chemicals, and beyond.

Example: Hexagon uses 3D materials modelling to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and improve decision-making by providing real-time data.

As these examples show, technology convergence isn’t a theory. It’s already being deployed in real-world situations. By looking at how emerging technologies can be combined, rather than treating them in isolation, leaders have the potential to use them as a springboard for innovation.

“The question is not about whether technology convergence will reshape industries. That journey has already begun,” says Aiman Ezzat, CEO at Capgemini. “The real challenge is how companies can position themselves to be champions of convergence.”