What Really Matters in Tech 2023

These are the technologies and issues that will matter to you in 2023.

As the first month of the year passes, the annual ritual of identifying tech trends and making predictions for the next solar orbit swings into action. Such exercises are always interesting but also inherently risky – particularly in uncertain times such as those we have recently experienced and continue to live through. 

For example, few at the end of 2019 would have forecast that the world of work would be turned upside down during the following year by a global pandemic, leading to an unprecedented focus on devices and services that facilitated remote working, and ushering in a likely permanent shift to a hybrid model. 

Then, just as economies were adjusting to and recovering from the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused a sharp rise in energy prices, increased inflation, supply chain issues and fears of widespread recession. This series of shocks has profound implications for the IT industry that look set to continue through 2023 and beyond. 

So perhaps the biggest benefit of the annual round of tech soothsaying is not so much the fine-grained detail – which is often derailed by contact with unexpected events – as the chance to take stock of the general direction of travel. 

Let's look at the latest crop of trends and predictions. 

What Analysts Say 

The top 10 strategic technology trends for 2023 are grouped under three themes:  

1. Optimizing IT systems for greater reliability, improving data-driven decision making and maintaining the value integrity of production AI systems.

2. Scaling vertical offerings, increasing the pace of product delivery and enabling connectivity everywhere.

3. Pioneering business model change, reinventing engagement with employees and customers, and accelerating strategies to tap new virtual markets. 

Overarching all these trends is sustainability: "Every technology investment will need to be set off against its impact on the environment, keeping future generations in mind. 'Sustainable by default' as an objective requires sustainable technology," says David Groombridge. Support for this view comes from 2022 CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey, which found that environmental sustainability was the third largest driver, behind performance and quality, among the 80% of CEOs planning to invest in new products in 2022/23.