All about High Tech (1)

All about High Tech
High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge—the most advanced technology currently available . There is no specific class of technology that is high tech—the definition shifts over time—so products hyped as high tech in the 1960s would now be considered , if not exactly low tech, then at least somewhat obsolete . This fuzzy definition has led to marketing departments describing nearly all new products as high tech.
Economy
Because the high-tech sector of the economy develops or uses the most advanced technology known , it is often seen as having the most potential for future growth . This perception has led to high investment in high-tech sectors of the economy. High-tech startup enterprises receive a large portion of venture capital. However , if, as has happened in the past, investment exceeds actual potential, then investors can lose all or most of their investment. High tech is often viewed as high risk, but offering the opportunity for high profits.
Like Big Science , high technology is an international phenomenon , spanning continents , epitomized by the worldwide communication of the Internet . Thus a multinational corporation might work on a project 24 hours a day, with teams waking and working with the advance of the sun across the globe ; such projects might be in software development or in the development of an integrated circuit . The help desks of a multinational corporation might thus employ , successively, teams in Kenya, Brazil , the Philippines , or India, with the only requirement fluency in the mother tongue, be it Spanish , Portuguese or English .
OECD has two different approaches: sector and product (industry) approaches.
High-tech sectors
The sector approach classifies industries according their technology intensity, product approach according to finished products.

• Aerospace technology
  
• Biotechnology
  
• Information technology
  
• Nanotechnology
  
• Robotics
  

• Aerospace technology -In most industrial countries, the aerospace industry is a cooperation of public and private industries. For example, several countries have a space program under the command of the government , such as NASA in the United States, ESA in Europe , the Canadian Space Agency in Canada, Indian Space Research Organisation in India, RKA in Russia , China National Space Administration in China, and Iranian Space Agency in Iran.
  

Along with these public space programs, many companies produce technical tools and components such as spaceships and satellites. Some known companies involved in space programs include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, EADS, and Boeing . These companies are also involved in other areas of aerospace such as the construction of aircraft. Many countries have air transport companies, such as Air France and Air India.
Biotechnology-Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture , food science, and medicine . United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:[1]
Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.
Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering technology of the 21st century, however the term encompasses a wider range and history of procedures for modifying biological organisms according to the needs of humanity, going back to the initial modifications of native plants into improved food crops through artificial selection and hybridization. Bioengineering is the science upon which all biotechnological applications are based. With the development of new approaches and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling them to improve the quality of their products and increase the productivity of their systems.
Before 1971 , the term, biotechnology, was primarily used in the food processing and agriculture industries. Since the 1970s, it began to be used by the Western scientific establishment to refer to laboratory -based techniques being developed in biological research, such as recombinant DNA or tissue culture-based processes, or horizontal gene transfer in living plants, using vectors such as the Agrobacterium bacteria to transfer DNA into a host organism. In fact , the term should be used in a much broader sense to describe the whole range of methods, both ancient and modern, used to manipulate organic materials to reach the demands of food production . So the term could be defined as, "The application of indigenous and/or scientific knowledge to the management of (parts of) microorganisms , or of cells and tissues of higher organisms, so that these supply goods and services of use to the food industry and its consumers.[2]
Biotechnology combines disciplines like genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, embryology and cell biology, which are in turn linked to practical disciplines like chemical engineering, information technology, and biorobotics. Patho-biotechnology describes the exploitation of pathogens or pathogen derived compounds for beneficial effect.
Information technology -Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study , design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert , store, protect , process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.
Today , the term information technology has ballooned to encompass many aspects of computing and technology, and the term has become very recognizable. The information technology umbrella can be quite large, covering many fields. IT professionals perform a variety of duties that range from installing applications to designing complex computer networks and information databases. A few of the duties that IT professionals perform may include data management, networking, engineering computer hardware, database and software design, as well as the management and administration of entire systems.
When computer and communications technologies are combined, the result is information technology, or "infotech". Information Technology (IT) is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information. Presumably, when speaking of Information Technology (IT) as a whole, it is noted that the use of computers and information are associated.
The term Information Technology (IT) was coined by Jim Domsic of Michigan in November 1981.[ citation needed] Domsic created the term to modernize the outdated phrase "data processing". Domsic at the time worked as a computer manager for an automotive related industry.
In recent years ABET and the ACM have collaborated to form accreditation and curriculum standards for degrees in Information Technology as a distinct field of study separate from both Computer Science and Information Systems. SIGITE is the ACM working group for defining these standards.
Nanotechnology - Nanotechnology, which is sometimes shortened to "Nanotech", refers to a field whose theme is the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally nanotechnology deals with structures of the size 100 nanometers or smaller, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.
Nanotechnology is extremely diverse, ranging from novel extensions of conventional device physics , to completely new approaches based upon molecular self- assembly , to developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale, even to speculation on whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.
There has been much debate on the future of implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials and devices with wide -ranging applications, such as in medicine, electronics, and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials [1], and their potential effects on global economics , as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.

• Robotics Robotics is the science and technology of robots, and their design, manufacture , and application.[1] Robotics has connections to electronics, mechanics, and software.[2]
  
• History
  
• High-tech industries
  
• Further analysis from OECD has indicated that using research intensity as only industry classification indicator is also possible. The OECD does not only take the manufacturing but also the usage rate of technology into account . The OECD's classification is following (stable since 1973):
  Industry name
  Total R&D-intensity (1999, in %)
  ISIC Rev. 3
  High-Technology
  Pharmaceuticals
  10.46
  2423
  Aircraft & spacecraft
  10.29
  353
  Medical , precision & optimal instruments
  9.69
  33
  Radio , television & communication equipment
  7.48
  32
  Office, accounting & computing machinery
  7.21
  30
  Medium -High-Technology
  Electrical machinery & apparatus
  3.60
  31
  Motor vehicles, trailers & semi-trailers
  3.51
  34
  Railroad & transport equipment
  3.11
  352+359
  Chemical & chemical products
  2.85
  24 (excl. 2423)
  Machinery & equipment
  2.20
  29
  
• Furthermore, OECD’s product-based classification supports the technology intensity approach. It can be concluded, that companies in a high-technology industry do not necessary produce high-technology products and vice versa. This creates a problem of aggregation.
  

Best Location
Most high-tech companies want to locate in cities that have highly ranked universities , institutes, or research centers with expertise in their industries. Universities can assist companies through research partnerships, sharing laboratory space and equipment, providing below -market- cost incubator space, and facilitating tech transfer and commercialization.
Considerable high-tech growth has occurred around universities and research centers in San Jose and San Diego , California; Boston ; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C. “Some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Europe have relocated in U.S. cities to gain access to American research,” says Kah. A recent example is Novartis, which recently moved its worldwide research headquarters to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to take advantage of the synergies of being part of one of the most vibrant biotech clusters in the world.
“High-tech firms prefer cities that have a critical mass,” says Dennis Donovan, principal with Wadley-Donovan Group, a site location firm . “This mass must have a compatible talent pool, universities or institutes with related R&D, and comparable companies and suppliers.”
Other universities are making names for themselves in homeland security . “Several universities, including Texas A&M University and University of Minnesota, have positioned themselves as Homeland Security Centers of Excellence,” says Kah. “As their research become more established , more companies with a connection to homeland defense will cluster around them.”
The Future of High Technology
In a single word — nanotechnology. All high-tech industries will advance as nanotechnology advances. Nanotech is the manipulation and management of matter at the atomic level. One nanometer equals one billionth of a meter. Today’s technology can manipulate matter in the 20nm range, where molecules begin to take on different properties, creating fantastic possibilities for high-tech sciences such as advanced materials. According to Lux Research, by 2015 consumer spending on nanotech-enabled products could reach $2.6 trillion annually (right now it’s about $132 billion ).
“By 2020, the smallest features on a semiconductor chip will be about 10 nanometers,” says Greenagel. “By that time, new technologies will not be silicon -based and assembly methods will be quite different. Right now, the industry is exploring a variety of nanotech ideas to see which ones have the most promise.”
To accelerate this research, the Semiconductor Industry Association has launched its Nanoelectronics Research Initiative, which will bring government, academia, and the private sector together to identify the best applications as quickly as possible and expedite funding.
“Innovative research in nanotechnology will impact a variety of critical areas in the future,” says Alain E. Kaloyeros, Ph.D., vice president of CNSE. “In healthcare, for example, nanotech will be used to develop biochips for blood testing and DNA sequencing, smart chips for spinal cord injury and other physical challenges, chip-controlled patches for drug delivery and monitoring of bodily functions , and non-intrusive sensors for detection of disease, such as cancer cells.”
Other key sectors that will benefit are alternative renewable energy (environmentally friendly biofuels), solar cells and photovoltaics, and national defense.
“The power of nanotechnology is rooted in its ability to impact multiple industries,” says Kaloyeros. “Nanotechnology is quite simply the most critical and enabling science and engineering discipline of the 21st century. As such, it will drive technological innovation and economic prosperity far into the future.”