1. Overview of nanotechnology industry
Each company worldwide will be changed by "Nanoconvergence". Nanotechnology is a cross-section technology and will change or redefine all known technologies and markets in the 21.century. It will create new applications and processes and change the branches. On a short-term basis, nanotechnology will complement and change life science, pharma, diagnostic, medicine technology, food, environmental technology, water, energy, electroics, mechanical engineering and so on. The world markets for pure nanotech products only come to a few billions US$, markets and products using nanotech are already many times bigger. The global growth rates will, according to branch and application, amount to 8-21% p.a. in the next 15 years.
Worldwide more than 4000 companies and research institutes are dealing with nanotech, restricted to turnover and services, there are about 1900 companies and restricted to products, 1020 companies. The R&D spendings worldwide are 7.4 billion US$ in 2002 and will increase up to 26.0 billion US$ by 2006 (government and industries). The total markets for nanotechnology worldwide will grow from USD 110.6 billion in 2003 to 299.9 billion in 2006 and 891.1 billion in 2015. This is the nanoindustry and not the applications. The data is based on a latest study from Helmut Kaiser Consultancy, Tübingen.
The leading countries today are USA, Japan, China, Germany. China is now one of the world leaders in terms of its number of newly registered nanotechnology firms. Over the past three years, the number of companies in the field of nanotechnology in China has grown and reached over 600. This growth rate is very rapid and it does not show signs of slowing down. The sales to date have been largely domestic, but with the increasing global interest on the development of nanotechnology and with the advantage of modern communication we can safely speculate that this could be a very profitable investment in the near future.
2. Key Branches and Applications
2.1 Instrumentation and Tools
Instruments, tools and nanofacilities are the bottleneck for the industrialisation of the
nanotechnology. Companies in this field will be the most important part of the future nanoindustry.
The recent rapid advances in nanotechnology are due in large part to our newly acquired ability to measure and manipulate individual structures on the nanoscale. The scanning probes, optical tweezers and other new tools enable the research workers in science and technology to create new structures , measure new phenomena, and explore new applications. In the next years the development of the tools, instruments and services will further act as the main catalyst of the nano-industries. At the same time, the broader applications of nanotechnology will reciprocally strengthen the surge of the tools, instruments and services.
The tools to control the nanoparticles are a family of different but interconnected instruments, which include analysing and sensing, synthesis and actuation, automation and fabrication, Information and services. Because the measurement and manipulation directly affect the nanoparticles, they require the corresponding sophisticated infrastructure and management, which mean billions of business by themselves. The symmetrical development of these segments is necessary for the nanotechnology evolution. The advance of any part of the instruments stimulates meanwhile the innovation of the other parts. The prosperity of nanotechnology will be based on these four pillars of instruments.
2.2. Automotive
Through nanotechnology, the automotive industry will get its new growth potential and development momentum. The design and manufacturing of cars, trucks and buses etc. will be affected by nanotechnology and the related technologies up to 60% in 10 years. The ability of manipulating the molecules and atoms opens new dimensions for the automotive industry. Nanotechnology is a "Must" for the automobile companies.
The dominating trends of the science and technology go to the nanoscale. The automotive industry will benefit from this trend by getting advanced powertrain, using new energy, reducing car weight, enhancing material functions, increasing comfort degree & flexibility, raising cost efficiency and so on. Almost all the automobile components can be improved by nanotechnology. The nanotechnology provides the automotive industry with gargantuan space for innovations and mammoth chance for new markets. The competition in 10 years could well depend on the development and application of nanotechnology by manufacturers in their automobiles.
2.3 Life Science
Nanomedicine, Nanopharma, and all the related nano-industries will affect the traditional Life Science Industry by 60-80% within 10 years, as nanotechnology enables people to manipulate the molecules and atoms of the living beings.
Nanodevices, nanoparticles, and nanoanalytics will define the basic approaches of the future healthcare system and diagnostics. Besides, energy, environment and food industries will also be propelled largely. The old barriers will be surpassed and the extant conundrums will be solved. The application of the nanotechnology in Life Science Industries is boundless.
However, two factors will greatly influence the development in different regions. One is the advances of instruments and tools of nanotechnology. They decide the accessibility to the nanoscale world. The other is legal and ethical acceptance. The attitudes to the innovations and new technologies affect largely the application of nanotechnology in Life Science.
The total market volume of nanotechnology in Life Science Industries amount to 8.1 billion US Dollars 2002. It is expected to surge to 29.9 billion US Dollars 2006 and reach 103.6 billion US Dollars 2010. The number of the companies involved in this field will increase from 600 in 2002 to 3000 by 2010.
3. Convergence of molecular technologies
-- The Development from Nanotechnology and Nano-Bio-Neural (Cogno)-Info to a
Nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and neural technologies (brainscience, cognoscience) have been converging for some years and will trigger off a "revolution" of innovations, new markets and applications in the 21. century. Only through the synergism of the converging molecular technologies (nano-DNA-neuron-bit), nanotechnology will have a significant result and impact on all industries through new materials, improved health and medicine, new energy sources, electronics, photonics, medical therapeutics, drug delivery and self-assembling molecular machinery.
Shaping molecules and atoms will be the key process for the production and design of products, processes and services. For many branches it will be of existential significance to master these new 'converging nano-bio-info-neural-technologies'.
The competitive ability of countries, regions and companies in the next 10-20 years will be dramatically influenced by the ability to realize these 'converging technologies'. The new potentials of employment are spreading to all branches and are extremely great. However, the risk of losses is also great because many branches are changing and possible adaptations are neglected or realized too late.
Appendix:
Development of Nanotechnology Markets Worldwide
by Applications 2002 –2006-2010- 2015 (bn. US$)
Copyright: www.hkc22.com, 2009
Development of Nanotechnology Markets Worldwide
by Regions 2002 – 2006 – 2010-2015 (bn. US$)
Copyright: www.hkc22.com, 2009
