The Huawei study Intelligent World 2035 paints a picture of a future in which digital and physical systems merge completely. By 2035, around 900 billion intelligent agents could be active and acting on behalf of people or organizations – a development step that will require a massive expansion of global communication capacities. The so-called ‘agentic Internet’ will emerge. At the same time, global computing power will increase 100,000-fold, supported by new technologies such as quantum computing.
The world of data is entering the Yottabyte age, making data more than ever a raw material that continuously improves artificial intelligence (AI). Energy and battery systems combine digital intelligence with physical autonomy, enabling a world of connected autonomous systems that learn and make decisions on their own.
10 Megatrends
Artificial general intelligence (AGI): AI is becoming the central foundation of social and economic transformation by connecting digital and physical systems. Physical action is the key to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
AI agents as decision-making partners: Intelligent agents take on tasks and control complex processes in industry, mobility and everyday life.
Human-AI programming: Software is increasingly being co-created – AI does the coding, while humans concentrate on creative and logical tasks.
New forms of human-machine interaction: traditional interfaces are being replaced by multimodal interaction such as voice, gestures and immersive experiences.
Apps are becoming intelligent services: instead of static apps, networked, AI-controlled services are emerging that coordinate tasks independently.
Embodied AI: AI, sensors, computing power, communication, energy and drive technology merge into physically acting systems that perceive, decide and perform complex tasks autonomously in real time.
Exponential computing power and new computer architectures: Computing capacity is growing by a factor of 100,000, new architectures are breaking down the boundaries of classic computers.
Data (storage) as a strategic raw material: The need for storage is exploding – data is becoming an active asset for AI models and intelligent systems. Technologies that transform “cold” data into usable, contextual information are accelerating progress.
Agentic Internet and massive networking: billions of AI agents communicate autonomously with each other and form a proactive, intelligent Internet.
Smart energy and infrastructure: Energy supply and digitalization are merging – AI-controlled grids and tokenized energy flows reduce consumption and optimize operations without human intervention.
Why this is crucial for companies and managers
These developments are not only changing technologies, but also business models, value creation and competitive dynamics. Companies that understand early on how AI agents, autonomous systems, exponential computing power and intelligent energy supply work together…
can tap into new efficiency potentials
will be able to develop entirely new products and services
can anticipate disruptive market changes
can prepare their organizations for a world in which autonomous systems take over a large part of the work.
