What is deep tech? It was hard for me to find a good definition of deep tech and it seems that the definition of the term is still evolving while persons find different ways to use the term. I turned to chatgpt and asked it to define deep tech. It said that deep tech refers to technologies that are based on scientific and engineering discoveries, and are often characterized by a high degree of complexity, novelty, and intellectual property. It went on to say that examples of deep tech include advanced robotics, quantum computing, genetic engineering, 3D printing, and machine learning. These technologies often have the potential to solve complex problems and address societal challenges in areas such as healthcare, energy, and environmental sustainability.
So basically you have to have deep understanding. A subset of deep tech is hard tech where the focus is on hardware. In this space you will also hear about frontier technologies. Some sources say that the origin of the term started with Swati Chaturvedi, CEO of Propel(x), in 2015. She wanted to differentiate tech startups built on commonly available technologies and those based on long-term scientific and technological research and development for future innovations.
Sometimes you will hear about the deep tech revolution. How rapidly developing deep tech will transform our lives and future and bring about innovative changes and solutions to the biggest challenges facing us. We in Trinidad and Tobago do not want to be left behind. Last year Niherst hosted the Sci-TechKnoFest 2.0 and the theme was "The Deep Tech Revolution". For them the deep tech movement was about things like artificial intelligence, extended reality, 3D printing, internet of things, blockchain, autonomous vehicles and quantum computing.
In my research I found the Climate Resilience through Deep Tech Acceleration in the Caribbean Basin project. I could not find much else related to deep tech and the Caribbean. I would like to hear what UWI is doing in this space. What research is taking place? I would like to hear from the Ministry of Digital Transformation. As an example, Singapore is leading as a global hub for deep tech innovation, and has made investments in key areas such as AI, quantum computing, robotics, and biotechnology.
In the future we are likely to see many hackathons and conferences and talk pieces centered on deep tech. There is huge potential in deep tech despite the risks involved. We have to remain problem focused. Investment, collaboration and diversity is needed. There are many deep tech pioneers that are paving the way and making an impact.
Comments