High tech

High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech), is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market. The opposite of high tech is low technology, referring to simple, often traditional or mechanical technology. When high tech gets old, it becomes low tech, for example vacuum tube electronics. Further, high tech is also in contrast to the concept of mid-tech, technology at a level between the two opposite extreme qualities of low-tech and high tech.

Electrical automotive VinFast plant using industrial robotics technology in Haiphong, Vietnam

Startups working on high technologies (or developing new high technologies) are sometimes referred to as deep tech; the term may also refer to disruptive innovations or those based on scientific discoveries.

High tech, as opposed to high-touch, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.

History

 

Matam high tech park in Silicon Wadi, Haifa, Israel

The phrase was used in a 1958 The New York Times story advocating "atomic energy" for Europe: "... Western Europe, with its dense population and its high technology ...." Robert Metz used the term in a financial column in 1969, saying Arthur H. Collins of Collins Radio "controls a score of high technology patents in a variety of fields" and in a 1971 article used the abbreviated form, "high tech".

A widely used classification of high-technological industries was provided by the OECD in 2006. It is based on the intensity of research and development activities used in these industries within OECD countries, resulting in four distinct categories.

In the 21st century, the high tech industry is a significant part of several advanced economies. The Israeli economy has the highest ratio in the world, with the high tech sector accounting for 20% of the economy. High tech makes up 9.3% of the American economy according to Statista and CTech.

Ranking of startup ecosystems

Multiple cities and hubs have been described as global startup ecosystems. GSER publishes a yearly ranking of global startup ecosystems. The study does yearly reports ranking the top 40 global startup hubs.

2024 rank	Change from 2023	Hub
1		Silicon Valley
2		London
2		New York City
4	(1)	Tel Aviv
4		Los Angeles
6		Boston
7	(1)	Singapore
8	(1)	Beijing
9	(3)	Seoul
10	(5)	Tokyo
11	(2)	Shanghai
12	(1)	Washington, D.C.
13	(1)	Amsterdam-Delta
14	(4)	Paris
15	(2)	Berlin
16	(7)	Miami
17	(2)	Chicago
18	(1)	Toronto-Waterloo
19	(3)	San Diego
20	(10)	Seattle
21		Bengaluru-Karnataka
21		Sydney
23		Stockholm
24		Delhi
25	(2)	Philadelphia
26		São Paulo
27		Austin
28	(7)	Shenzhen
29		Atlanta
30		Denver-Boulder
31	(5)	Zurich
32	(1)	Melbourne
33	(4)	Munich
34		Vancouver
35		Salt Lake-Provo
36	(2)	Hangzhou
37		Mumbai
38		Dallas
39	(1)	Montreal
40	(1)	Copenhagen
40		Greater Helsinki

List of countries by high tech exports

The following is a list of the 15 largest exporting countries of high tech products by value in billions of United States dollars, according to the United Nations.^{[needs update]}

#	Country	Value (billion US$)	Year
1	China	825	2023
2	Hong Kong	369	2023
3	Germany	255	2023
4	United States	232	2024
5	Singapore	197	2023
6	South Korea	163	2023
7	Vietnam	135	2022
8	Malaysia	127	2023
9	France	115	2023
10	Netherlands	110	2023
11	Japan	102	2024
12	Ireland	91	2023
13	Switzerland	89	2024
14	United Kingdom	82	2023
15	Mexico	81	2023

See also

 

Look up high tech in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Electronics
• Electronics industry
• Photonics industry
• Nuclear technology
• Quantum technology
• Intermediate technology – sometimes used to mean technology between low and high technology
• Industrial design
• List of emerging technologies
• Semiconductor industry
• Big Tech
• Innovation