I’m trying to compile a list of major technological and societal trends that influence U.S. computing research. Here’s my initial list. Please post your own suggestions!
- Ubiquitous connectivity, and thus true mobility
- Massive computational capability available to everyone, through the cloud
- Exponentially increasing data volumes – from ubiquitous sensors, from higher-volume sensors (digital imagers everywhere!), and from the creation of all information in digital form – has led to a torrent of data which must be transferred, stored, and mined: “data to knowledge to action”
- Social computing – the way people interact has been transformed; the data we have from and about people is transforming
- All transactions (from purchasing to banking to voting to health) are online, creating the need for dramatic improvements in privacy and security
- The end of single-processor performance increases, and thus the need for parallelism to increase performance in operating systems and productivity applications, not just high-end applications; also power issues
- Asymmetric threats, need for surveillance, reconnaissance
- Globalization – of innovation, of consumption, of workforce
- Pressing national and global challenges: climate change, education, energy / sustainability, health care (these replace the cold war)
What’s on your list? Please post below!
[cross-posted from CCC Blog]