The World Economic Forum (WEF), in collaboration with Frontiers, released its annual “Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025” report in June 2025. This list identifies breakthrough innovations poised for significant real-world impact within the next three to five years, addressing global challenges like climate change, healthcare, energy, and digital trust. The selections are based on expert nominations, peer-reviewed evidence, citation analysis, and evaluations of novelty, development stage, and societal benefits. These technologies emphasize convergence across fields like AI, biology, materials science, and energy systems, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth.Below is the ranked list of the top 10, with brief explanations of each technology’s potential, current progress, and challenges.

1. Structural Battery Composites (SBCs)
   SBCs integrate energy storage directly into structural materials (e.g., carbon fiber or epoxy resin), allowing components like vehicle chassis or aircraft fuselages to double as batteries. This reduces weight, improves efficiency, and extends range in electric vehicles and aviation. Progress includes prototypes tested in labs, with commercialization expected soon due to sustainability benefits. Challenges: Scaling performance, ensuring safety, and navigating regulations.
2. Osmotic Power Systems
   These systems generate clean, renewable energy by harnessing salinity gradients between freshwater and seawater through advanced membranes. Recent material innovations have overcome past efficiency hurdles, enabling pilot plants for steady baseload power, water purification, and resource recovery. With global investment rising, they could provide sustainable electricity in coastal areas. Challenges: High initial costs and the need for further membrane durability improvements.
3. Advanced Nuclear Technologies
   Innovations like small modular reactors (SMRs), next-generation cooling systems, and progress toward nuclear fusion offer safer, more scalable clean energy. SMRs simplify deployment and reduce costs, while fusion (e.g., via projects like ITER) promises unlimited zero-carbon power. Global investments are surging to meet AI-driven energy demands. Challenges: Regulatory approvals and fusion’s long-term timeline, though fission variants are nearer to deployment.
4. Engineered Living Therapeutics
   Programmed microbes, cells, or fungi act as “living drugs” inside the body, producing therapeutics on demand for chronic diseases like diabetes or gut disorders. Genetic engineering allows controlled production via switches, with early successes in wearables for glucose monitoring and menopause care. This could lower treatment costs and enable long-term care. Challenges: Ensuring safety, scalability, and ethical genetic modifications.
5. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists for Neurodegenerative Disorders
   Originally for diabetes and obesity, these drugs (e.g., semaglutide) show promise in slowing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by reducing brain inflammation and promoting neuron health. Clinical trials are expanding, building on metabolic benefits. They could transform aging populations’ care. Challenges: Long-term efficacy data and side effect management in non-metabolic applications.
6. Collaborative Sensing
   AI-powered networks link sensors from everyday devices (e.g., in homes, vehicles, and cities) for real-time environmental monitoring, disaster prediction, and smart infrastructure. Advances in edge computing enable seamless data sharing. This fosters resilient urban systems. Challenges: Privacy protection and data standardization across ecosystems.
7. Green Nitrogen Fixation
   Sustainable methods using renewable energy, engineered microbes, or lithium systems produce ammonia (key for fertilizers and shipping fuel) with lower carbon emissions than traditional Haber-Bosch processes. Early pilots localize production, decarbonizing agriculture. This addresses food insecurity and emissions from the 2% of global CO2 from ammonia. Challenges: Scaling efficiency and cost-competitiveness.
8. Nanozymes
   Synthetic nanomaterials mimic enzymes for stable, low-cost applications in medicine (e.g., targeted cancer therapy), environmental remediation, and food safety. Their versatility outperforms natural enzymes, with a market projected at $57.95 billion by 2034. Commercialization is accelerating. Challenges: Regulatory hurdles for medical use and precise control of activity.
9. AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery
   AI accelerates research by analyzing vast datasets, simulating experiments, and predicting outcomes in fields like drug discovery and materials science. Tools integrate with lab automation for faster breakthroughs. This democratizes science and boosts innovation speed. Challenges: Ensuring AI interpretability and addressing biases in training data.
10. Generative AI Watermarking
    Invisible digital markers embedded in AI-generated content (text, images, audio, video) verify authenticity and trace origins, combating misinformation and protecting IP. Standards are emerging amid rising deepfakes. This builds digital trust. Challenges: Robustness against tampering and global adoption of protocols.

Wrapping Up with Key Insights

These technologies are expected to drive economic value, with the WEF estimating trillions in potential impact by 2030 through job creation and efficiency gains. For deeper insights, including transformation maps, refer to the full WEF report. Other organizations like Gartner and MIT Technology Review highlight overlapping trends (e.g., agentic AI and sustainable fuels), but the WEF list provides a comprehensive, globally oriented view.