High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology,[1][failed verification] is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available.[2] It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market.[3] The opposite of high tech is low technology, referring to simple, often traditional or mechanical technology; for example, a slide rule is a low-tech calculating device.[4][5][6] When high tech becomes old, it becomes low tech, for example vacuum tube electronics. Further, high tech is related to the concept of mid-tech, that is a balance between the two opposite extreme qualities of low-tech and high tech. Mid-tech could be understood as an inclusive middle that combines the efficiency and versatility of digital/automated technology with low-tech's potential for autonomy and resilience.[7]
Startups working on high technologies (or developing new high technologies) are sometimes referred to as deep tech; the term may also refer to disruptive innovations or those based on scientific discoveries.[8]
High tech, as opposed to high-touch, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.[9]
History
edit
The phrase was used in a 1958 The New York Times story advocating "atomic energy" for Europe: "... Western Europe, with its dense population and its high technology ...."[10] Robert Metz used the term in a financial column in 1969, saying Arthur H. Collins of Collins Radio "controls a score of high technology patents in a variety of fields"[11] and in a 1971 article used the abbreviated form, "high tech".[12]
A widely used classification of high-technological industries was provided by the OECD in 2006.[13] It is based on the intensity of research and development activities used in these industries within OECD countries, resulting in four distinct categories.[14]
In the 21st century, the high tech industry is a significant part of several advanced economies. The Israeli economy has the highest ratio in the world, with the high tech sector accounting for 20% of the economy. High tech makes up 9.3% of the American economy according to Statista[15] and CTech.[16]
Ranking of startup ecosystems
editMultiple cities and hubs have been described as global startup ecosystems. GSER publishes a yearly ranking of global startup ecosystems.[17][18] The study does yearly reports ranking the top 40 global startup hubs.[19]
| Rank | Change
from 2023 |
Hub |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
 Sillicon Valley
|
| 2 |
|
 London
|
| 2 |
|
New York City
|
| 4 |  (1)
|
 Tel Aviv
|
| 4 | Los Angeles
| |
| 6 | Boston
| |
| 7 | (1)
|
 Singapore
|
| 8 |  (1)
|
 Beijing
|
| 9 | (3)
|
 Seoul
|
| 10 | (5)
|
 Tokyo
|
| 11 | (2)
|
Shanghai
|
| 12 | (1)
|
Washington, D.C.
|
| 13 | (1)
|
 Amsterdam-Delta
|
| 14 | (4)
|
 Paris
|
| 15 | (2)
|
 Berlin
|
| 16 | (7)
|
Miami
|
| 17 | (2)
|
Chicago
|
| 18 | (1)
|
 Toronto-Waterloo
|
| 19 | (3)
|
San Diego
|
| 20 | (10)
|
Seattle
|
| 21 |  Bengaluru-Karnataka
| |
| 21 |  Sydney
| |
| 23 |  Stockholm
| |
| 24 | Delhi
| |
| 25 | (2)
|
Philadelphia
|
| 26 |  São Paulo
| |
| 27 | Austin
| |
| 28 | (7)
|
Shenzhen
|
| 29 | Atlanta
| |
| 30 | Denver-Boulder
| |
| 31 | (5)
|
 Zurich
|
| 32 | (1)
|
Melbourne
|
| 33 | (4)
|
Munich
|
| 34 | Vancouver
| |
| 35 | Salt Lake-Provo
| |
| 36 | (2)
|
Hangzhou
|
| 37 | Mumbai
| |
| 38 | Dallas
| |
| 39 | (1)
|
Montreal
|
| 40 | (1)
|
 Copenhagen
|
| 40 |  Greater Helsinki
|
List of countries by high tech exports
editThis section needs to be updated. The reason given is: 2023 data is available; see source given.. (November 2024) |
The following is a list of the 15 largest exporting countries of high tech products by value in millions of United States dollars, according to the United Nations.[20]
| # | Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China |
769,699.28 | 2022 |
| 2 | Germany |
223,370.84 | 2022 |
| 3 |  Hong Kong |
194,079.88 | 2022 |
| 4 | United States |
166,435.57 | 2022 |
| 5 |  Vietnam |
122,993.36 | 2022 |
| 6 | South Korea |
98,537.98 | 2022 |
| 7 | France |
95,753.98 | 2022 |
| 8 | Singapore |
94,102.98 | 2022 |
| 9 | Netherlands |
92,149.42 | 2022 |
| 10 |  Mexico |
85,898.58 | 2022 |
| 11 | Japan |
83,102.74 | 2022 |
| 12 |  Ireland |
80,006.33 | 2022 |
| 13 | Switzerland |
77,973.73 | 2022 |
| 14 | United Kingdom |
72,663.09 | 2022 |
| 15 |  Malaysia |
66,214.45 | 2022 |
See also
edit
- Electronics
- Electronics industry
- Photonics industry
- Nuclear technology
- Quantum technology
- Intermediate technology – sometimes used to mean technology between low and high technology
- Industrial design
- List of emerging technologies
- Semiconductor industry
- Big Tech
- Innovation
References
edit- ^ Advanced technology definition
- ^ Cortright, Joseph; Mayer, Heike (January 2001). High Tech Specialization: A Comparison of High Technology Centers (PDF). Brookings Institution, Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy.
- ^ Steenhuis, H.; Bruijn, E. J. De (July 2006). "High technology revisited: Definition and position" (PDF). 2006 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 1080–1084. doi:10.1109/ICMIT.2006.262389. ISBN 1-4244-0147-X. S2CID 32767300. Archived from the original on 2023-10-28. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
- ^ "Know How To Use a Slide Rule? - Slashdot". science.slashdot.org. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2019-11-04.
- ^ "Slide Rules Were the Original Personal Computers". 5 November 2015.
- ^ Slide Rules & Calculators https://www.tnmoc.org/slide-rules-calculators
- ^ Kostakis, Vasilis; Pazaitis, Alex; Liarokapis, Minas (2023-06-20). "Beyond high-tech versus low-tech: A tentative framework for sustainable urban data governance". BigData&Society. 10 (1). doi:10.1177/20539517231180583. ISSN 2053-9517.
- ^ "What is Deep Tech and which startups are marking the road (not Uber)". Startup Business (in Italian). 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ Williams, Howard (6 June 2019). "Do Customers Want High Tech or High Touch?". Home Business Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- ^ "Atomic Power for Europe", The New York Times, February 4, 1958, p. 17.
- ^ Metz, Robert (1969). "Market Place: Collins Versus The Middle Man", The New York Times, April 24, 1969, p. 64.
- ^ Metz, Robert (1971). "Market Place: So What Made E.D.S. Plunge?", The New York Times, November 11, 1971, p. 72.
- ^ Hatzichronoglou, Thomas: "Revision of the High-Technology Sector and Product Classification", OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, No. 1997/02, OECD Publishing, Paris.
- ^ High Tech Trademarks by John Mendenhall, Art Direction Book Co; First Edition (January 1, 1985) ISBN 0881080241
- ^ "Tech GDP as a percent of total U.S. GDP 2022". Statista. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ "For Israeli economy, no substitute for high-tech dominance". ctech. 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Genome, Startup. "Startup Genome". Startup Genome. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
- ^ Wrobel, Sharon (10 June 2024). "Tel Aviv moves up to 4th place in annual ranking of global tech ecosystems".
- ^ "Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking 2024 (Top 40)". Startup Genome. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- ^ High-technology exports (current US$). "United Nations, Comtrade database through the WITS platform".