High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech),[1] is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available.[2] It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market.[3] 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.
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.[4]
High tech, as opposed to high-touch, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.[5]
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 ...."[6] 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"[7] and in a 1971 article used the abbreviated form, "high tech".[8]
A widely used classification of high-technological industries was provided by the OECD in 2006.[9] It is based on the intensity of research and development activities used in these industries within OECD countries, resulting in four distinct categories.[10]
In the 21st century, the high tech industry is a significant part of several advanced economies.[11] 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[12] and CTech.[13]
Multiple cities and hubs have been described as global startup ecosystems. GSER publishes a yearly ranking of global startup ecosystems.[14] [15] The study does yearly reports ranking the top 40 global startup hubs.[16]
| 2024 rank | Changefrom 2023 | Hub | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silicon Valley | ||
| 2 | London | ||
| 2 | New York City | ||
| 4 | Tel Aviv | ||
| 4 | Los Angeles | ||
| 6 | Boston | ||
| 7 | Singapore | ||
| 8 | Beijing | ||
| 9 | Seoul | ||
| 10 | Tokyo | ||
| 11 | Shanghai | ||
| 12 | Washington, D.C. | ||
| 13 | Amsterdam-Delta | ||
| 14 | Paris | ||
| 15 | Berlin | ||
| 16 | Miami | ||
| 17 | Chicago | ||
| 18 | Toronto-Waterloo | ||
| 19 | San Diego | ||
| 20 | Seattle | ||
| 21 | Bengaluru-Karnataka | ||
| 21 | Sydney | ||
| 23 | Stockholm | ||
| 24 | Delhi | ||
| 25 | Philadelphia | ||
| 26 | São Paulo | ||
| 27 | Austin | ||
| 28 | Shenzhen | ||
| 29 | Atlanta | ||
| 30 | Denver-Boulder | ||
| 31 | Zurich | ||
| 32 | Melbourne | ||
| 33 | Munich | ||
| 34 | Vancouver | ||
| 35 | Salt Lake-Provo | ||
| 36 | Hangzhou | ||
| 37 | Mumbai | ||
| 38 | Dallas | ||
| 39 | Montreal | ||
| 40 | Copenhagen | ||
| 40 | Greater Helsinki |
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.[17]
| Country | Value (billion US$) | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 825 | 2023 | |
| 2 |  | 369 | 2023 | |
| 3 |  | 255 | 2023 | |
| 4 |  | 232 | 2024 | |
| 5 | 197 | 2023 | ||
| 6 | 163 | 2023 | ||
| 7 | 135 | 2022 | ||
| 8 | 127 | 2023 | ||
| 9 | 115 | 2023 | ||
| 10 |  | 110 | 2023 | |
| 11 |  | 102 | 2024 | |
| 12 |  | 91 | 2023 | |
| 13 |  | 89 | 2024 | |
| 14 | 82 | 2023 | ||
| 15 |  | 81 | 2023 |
