MIT's Top 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2021

At the beginning of each year, MIT publishes a digest of 10 of the most disruptive technologies of the coming year - the MIT Technology Review. This year the issue has become a jubilee, as the tradition of talking about technologies that will make the lives of millions of people better in the near future dates back to 2001. Let's take a look at each technology separately and determine its benefits together.





1. Messenger RNA (mRNA)

Background:  Globally, more than 2 million people have died from covid-19. MRNA vaccines are about 95% effective





Market leaders: 





  • BioNTech





  • GreenLight Biosciences





  • Moderna Therapeutics





  • Pfizer





  • Strand Therapeutics





Availability:  Now





Illustration: Selman Design
Illustration: Selman Design

Unlike traditional vaccines, which use live viruses to train the body's immune system, new vaccines use messenger RNA, a short-lived molecule that in our cells transfers copies of genes to where they can direct the production of proteins.





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2.     GPT-3

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  • OpenAI





  • Google





  • Facebook





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Photo: Sierra & Lenny
: Sierra & Lenny

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3. Data Trusts

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  • Data Trusts Initiative





  • Digital Public





  • Open Data Institute





  • National Governments





  • European Commission





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Art by Franziska Barczyk
: Franziska Barczyk

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4.  Lithium-metal batteries

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  • QuantumScape





  • Samsung 





  • Advanced Institute of Technology





  • Solid Power





  • 24M





: 2025





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5. Digital Contact Tracing

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  • Apple





  • Google





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Art by Franziska Barczyk
: Franziska Barczyk

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6. Hyper-Accurate Positioning

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  • China National Space Administration 





  • US Air Force





  • ColdQuanta





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7. Remote Everything

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  • Babyl Rwanda





  • Daktari Africa





  • Microsoft





  • Nerdy





  • Teladoc





  • Zoom





  • Zuoyebang





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Photo: Sierra & Lenny
: Sierra & Lenny

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8. Multi Skilled AI

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  • OpenAI





  • AI2





  • Facebook





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Illustration: Selman Design
: Selman Design

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9. TikTok Recommendation Algorithms

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  • TikTok





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Art by Sierra & Lenny
: Sierra & Lenny

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10. Green Hydrogen 

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  • Siemens





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