TOKYO, Japan - January 28, 2021 — NTT DATA today released NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2021, a compilation of future technology trends that the company believes will have a significant impact on society and business. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Technology Foresight’s first publication.

NTT DATA Technology Foresight analyzes the ramifications of developing technologies on society and business over the next three to ten years. In particular, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) are making a significant impact on people’s lives, creating new business models, and delivering new business value.

< Background: Ten Years of NTT DATA Technology Foresight >

NTT DATA launched its inaugural Technology Foresight in 2012 to provide vision and guidance to its clients in a time of rapid change. Technology Foresight has been published annually since then, shedding light on emerging trends based on our ongoing exploration of the latest developments in technology and society. We have shared our findings with more than 30,000 people at private seminars over the past decade.
NTT DATA Technology Foresight has provided on-target insights over the years. For example, in 2012 we noted that it was a year of accelerated AI development. In the image recognition field, it was announced that deep learning had helped improve the accuracy and performance of AI, further raising the hope for AI use. The adoption of AI has only accelerated in the intervening years. Another notable year for AI was 2018, when we predicted a technological revolution in language processing. This technology – and high-accuracy image and voice recognition technology – have since generated many new businesses and services.
Today, despite the challenges of an unprecedented global pandemic, NTT DATA continues to publish trend information and future predictions to help our global clients innovate and solve social issues. The NTT DATA Technology Foresight project has proven to be a reliable and insightful guide, revealing the future of society as seen through the lens of advanced technology research and development.

< Trend Information from NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2021 >

NTT DATA Technology Foresight delivers insights on information society trends, which focus on social and business change, and technology trends, which capture technological change.

Information Society Trends from NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2021

This year’s Technology Foresight addresses significant changes in society and business in the following areas:
Note: IST — Information Society Trend

• IST01: Growth of a Seamless World
• IST02: Individual-Centered Design
• IST03: Forge New Norms

Technology Trends from NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2021

This year’s leading technology trends are related to AI, which is experiencing a significant technological revolution, and digital data, which is raising hopes as a source of increased value. Technology Foresight considers the impact of these technology trends in the following six areas:
Note: TT — Technology Trend

• TT01: The Transformative Power of AI
• TT02: The Complication of IT Infrastructures
• TT03: Software-Driven Evolution
• TT04: The Growth of Consolidated Data
• TT05: Simulation Takes on New Challenges
• TT06: Distance Accelerates Automation

NTT DATA Technology Foresight website: https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/foresight/trend-listing

< NTT DATA’s Vision and Development Case Examples >

We use NTT DATA Technology Foresight to help clarify a vision of the future for our global clients. We support the creation of new business and the growth of society by developing technologies and services required to make the vision a reality. This includes verifying the feasibility and validity of newly developed technologies and services by working with our clients to conduct demonstration experiments.
The following are representative examples of demonstration experiments conducted in the past:

• The functional enhancement of COVID-19 solutions, including remote medicine and the medical image archive solution. ^{(Note 1)}
• The start of the MLOps implementation service ^{(Note 2)}

About Technology Foresight

NTT DATA Technology Foresight provides a look at future trends based on information collected from around the world, analyzing potential changes in politics, economy, society and technology over the next three to ten years. NTT DATA began publishing reports on their investigations into the newest technologies and social trends in 2012, providing a guide for organizational decision-makers during times of precipitous change.

NTT DATA Technology Foresight 2021 identifies the impacts of advancing technology. Information Society Trends includes three articles on the core concepts and directions for social and business applications of technology. Technology Trends includes six articles presenting detailed information about the evolution of advanced technologies as well as potential social and business changes.

About NTT DATA

NTT DATA – a part of NTT Group – is a trusted global innovator of IT and business services headquartered in Tokyo. We help clients transform through consulting, industry solutions, business process services, digital & IT modernization and managed services. NTT DATA enables them, as well as society, to move confidently into the digital future. We are committed to our clients' long-term success and combine global reach with local client attention to serve them in over 50 countries around the globe. Visit us at nttdata.com.

• (Note 1)June 19, 2020: Leveraging solutions to help hospitals and healthcare research institutions to tackle COVID-19.
  https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/media/press-release/2020/june/leveraging-solutions-to-help-hospitals-and-healthcare-research
• (Note 2)December 4, 2020: NTT DATA Launches MLOps Introduction Service
  https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/media/press-release/2020/december/ntt-data-launches-mlops-introduction-service

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