Technology Convergence Report

The accelerating combination of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and engineering biology is transforming industries and unlocking new economic and societal value. Yet many organizations struggle to identify where and how to invest.

Written in collaboration with Capgemini, the Technology Convergence Report offers leaders a strategic lens – the 3C Framework – to help them navigate the combinatorial innovation era. This framework highlights three critical phases: combination (the integration of distinct technologies), convergence (restructuring of value chains) and compounding (network effects and ecosystem transformation). Drawing on a survey of 2,000 global executives and expert insights, the report maps 23 high-potential technology pairings across eight key domains.

By applying the 3C Framework, organizations can position themselves to harness exponential innovation and drive cross-sector transformation. This report equips decision-makers to align their strategies with the emerging logic of convergence, where technology intersections define the future of innovation and value creation.

In this new dynamic landscape, innovation is no longer linear. Instead, it emerges from the integration of complementary technologies across domains like artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, robotics, advanced materials and more.

The Technology Convergence Report introduces the 3C Framework – combination, convergence and compounding – to help leaders navigate this shift. It draws from extensive global input: a survey of 2,000 senior executives across 18 countries and 10 industries, alongside expert insights from the Forum’s global network of technologists, academics, civil society leaders and policy-makers.

The framework reveals how organizations can capture disproportionate value by strategically investing in technology intersections.

This figure illustrates the three phases of technology convergence: combination, convergence and compounding, and how they interlock to drive innovation and value.

1. Convergence is reshaping value chains

Technological convergence is dissolving traditional industry boundaries and enabling organizations to redefine their role in the value chain. By combining innovations across maturity levels – such as AI (product-stage) with quantum computing (genesis-stage) or robotics with engineering biology – companies are capturing new margins, creating integrated service models and launching entirely new categories of products.

Case studies in the report illustrate this shift, such as the emergence of humanoid robotics in China, where companies are using their expertise in drones and consumer electronics to rapidly prototype intelligent, mobile platforms for healthcare and logistics.

This figure shows 23 high-impact combination patterns across eight domains, from AI to next-gen energy, that are shaping new value opportunities.

2. AI is a primary catalyst

Artificial intelligence is the connective tissue of convergence. It enhances nearly every domain it touches – from optimizing spatial environments through digital twins, to enabling decentralized decision-making in robotics through agentic systems.

Agentic AI and multi-agent autonomy are driving the emergence of machine-scale collaboration, while federated learning and edge intelligence are unlocking real-time responsiveness and privacy-preserving analytics at the network’s edge. These capabilities are turning static systems into dynamic, adaptive ones – and they’re laying the groundwork for future innovation cycles.

3. Advanced domains are intersecting to unlock new capabilities

The report showcases convergence between deep-tech domains previously considered unrelated. For instance:

These intersections are driving next-generation standards of efficiency, personalization and resilience – outcomes that no single technology could deliver alone.

4. Early movers benefit from compounding effects

Once convergence reaches scale, compounding effects, like declining costs, network effects and the emergence of shared standards, accelerate adoption and lock in competitive advantage. The report draws parallels with the evolution of electric vehicles: early leaders secured critical positions in battery supply chains and charging infrastructure before costs dropped and standards emerged.

Organizations that act early and invest with vision stand to gain disproportionate benefits as these feedback loops reinforce success and unlock new cycles of innovation.

5. Strategic investment timing is critical

The most successful convergence strategies combine experimental technologies that unlock differentiation with mature platforms that enable scalability. The report emphasizes that not all combinations are valuable: the most impactful ones often occur when technologies at different stages of maturity are combined to create new capabilities neither could achieve alone.

Firms must therefore adopt a portfolio approach, balancing short-term returns from product-stage tech with longer-term bets on genesis-stage innovation, while aligning investments with emerging shifts in customer value and infrastructure readiness.

6. Regulation and standardization will be decisive

As converging technologies become embedded across industries and infrastructure, policy and interoperability frameworks will shape their scalability, safety and public trust. For example, the EU’s AI Act is already setting precedents for how governments govern powerful technologies, while protocols for digital twins and edge computing are fast emerging as industry-defining standards.

Navigating this environment requires engagement in standard-setting bodies, proactive regulatory compliance, and the ability to adapt to evolving governance landscapes, particularly for firms operating globally.

Technological convergence is not a passing trend; it is a structural shift in how innovation occurs. By adopting a systems-thinking approach and investing at the intersections, organizations can anticipate where value is moving, position themselves in new value chains and lead the next wave of transformation.