The IT industry is constantly evolving, profoundly shaping our lives and businesses. The years 2024 and 2025 stand as pivotal turning points for technological innovation and transformation. Drawing on data from SPRi and Gartner, this blog post compares and analyzes key trends, offering you the vision and actionable strategies needed to prepare for the future.
Join us in exploring the era of emerging technologies and get ready to navigate both opportunities and challenges.
The pace of technological advancement today is unlike anything we’ve seen before. In the past, the emergence and diffusion of new technologies followed a predictable bell curve, allowing companies and organizations ample time to detect trends and respond accordingly.
However, recent developments, such as the rapid emergence of technologies like ChatGPT, demonstrate a “shark fin” pattern—rising abruptly and reaching their peak in an exceptionally short timeframe. This shift highlights the challenges of forecasting and preparation using traditional strategies.
In this environment, detecting future insights and building strategies around them has become more critical than ever. The signals can generally be categorized into three types:
Many companies and research institutions are currently focusing on detecting weak signals as they seek ways to prepare for the sudden emergence and evolution of new technologies. Early detection of weak signals and their strategic utilization have become critical factors in shaping future competitiveness.
The year 2024 marked a period of extensive discussion on the possibilities of technological innovation, with various trends drawing significant attention. The rapid proliferation of AI technologies sparked debates centered on mitigating AI-related risks. At the same time, the importance of sustainable technology aligned with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles emerged as a critical focus.
No-code/Low-code platforms revolutionized development accessibility, accelerating adoption across diverse organizations. Meanwhile, SuperApps gained prominence by integrating multiple features and services to maximize user convenience. Additionally, platform engineering established itself as a cornerstone for reducing IT infrastructure complexity and enhancing development productivity.
These trends reflect the dynamic shifts in the IT industry during 2024 and serve as a vital foundation for preparing for the future.
Efforts to Address AI Risks and Strengthen Governance:
In 2024, as AI technologies rapidly expanded, the potential risks associaled with AI—such as generating misinformation, data security concerns, and regulatory non-compliance—emerged as major issues. Consequently, there was a strong emphasis on risk mitigation strategies aimed at minimizing the nagative impacts of AI technologies. These efforts focused more on controlling nad managing risks rather than exploring ethical applications of AI.
The Rise of Sustainable Technology and ESG:
According to Gartner, 2024 saw growing interest in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, with sustainable technology becoming a significant trend. Companies concentrated on optimizing IT insystems to enhance energy efficiency in data center operations and reduce carbon emissions. IT strategies grounded in ESG principles not only reinforced corporate social responsibility but also contributed to securing long-term competitiveness.
Innovation through No-code/Low-code:
As highlighted by SPRi, No-code/Low-code platforms significantly enhanced accessibility in the development process and were widely adopted by various organizations. These technologies garnered attention for enabling users with little or no programming knowledge to create creative and efficient applications, therby democratizing software development.
The Emergence of SuperApps:
SuperApps, which integrate multiple functions and services into a single platform, were recognized as a key trend in SPRi’s 2024 report. These applications offered new opportunities for businesses by maximizing user convenience and business scalability. SuperApps have been actively adopted various industries such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, presenting transformative potential.
The Strength and Expansion of Platform Engineering:
Platform engineering has emerged as a critical technology for IT infrastructure, significantly boosting developer productivity. By enabling automated infrastructure operations and self-service capabilities, developers can focus on core functionalities instead of repetitive tasks. Additionally, standardized tools and reusable components enhance development speed and consistency while reducing the complexity of IT operations.
The year 2025 marked a phrase of technological maturity, with an increased emphasis on ethical responsibility alongside advancements in AI. As AI applications expanded, the importance of AI governance platforms grew, ensuring safe and reliable management of AI systems.
Moreover, innovations such as energy-efficient computing, advancements in Agentic AI, and AI-Augmented Software Engineering transformed development environments and operational practices. The evolution of platform engineering further enhanced developer productivity and IT infrastructure efficiency.
Simultaneously, technologies like quantum computing and human-machine interaction opened up new possibilities for future business models, garnering significant attention.
AI continues to be a core trend in 2025. While 2024 was marked by concerns over the risks and negative impacts of AI, by 2025, many companies and users have reached a stage where they not only understand and utilize AI effectively but also manage its risks efficiently. As AI usage becomes more widespread, organizations and individuals are entering an era where they must not only seize new IT opportunities through AI but also emphasize responsibility and transparency.
In this context, AI governance platforms play a critical role in preventing the generation of misinformation and establishing ethical frameworks. These platforms have become indispensable tools for ensuring the safe and trustworthy implementation of AI technologies.
Energy-efficient computing has emerged as a key trend in 2025, focusing on reducing energy consumption while maintaining high performance. Data centers and cloud infrastructures prioritize efficient power usage to lower carbon emissions, achieving the dual goals of cost reduction and environmental protection. This approach reflects a growing emphasis on sustainable and responsible IT practices.
In 2025, Agentic AI has emerged as a new focal point in technological innovation. As the most advanced form among the three AI roles—Assistant, Advisor, and Agent—it goes beyond merely assisting or providing insights to actively performing actions.
• Assistant Role: Focuses on enhancing productivity by supporting simple tasks like knowledge searches or chatbot interactions.
• Advisor Role: Provides users with insights, such as supporting data-driven decision-making with automated A/B ad testing.
• Agent Role: Moves beyond assistance and insights to autonomously “act.” It performs complex tasks automatically, bringing transformative changes to business operations.
Agentic AI is no longer just a tool to assist human decision-making. As an autonomous technology capable of making decisions and taking actions independently, it is becoming a cornerstone of future business innovation.
According to Gartner, AI-Augmented Software Engineering is expected to reach the Plateau of Productivity within the next 2–5 years. Notably, Gartner included AI-augmented development in its Top 10 Strategic IT Trends for 2024, further highlighting its significance. Similarly, SPRi identified AI-augmented development, which leverages AI technologies in software development, as a weak signal for 2025.
No-code/Low-code, a major trend in 2024, primarily empowered users to build creative and efficient applications regardless of their programming knowledge. When combined with AI-augmented development technologies, AI takes this capability further by analyzing user requirements, automatically proposing code structures, and generating optimized solutions. This integration represents a significant leap in software development efficiency and creativity.
Platform engineering continues to be a pivotal aspect of IT infrastructure in 2025. Well-designed platforms provide reusable services and components, enhancing development speed and consistency while reducing the complexity of IT operations. Gartner predicts that by 2026, approximately 80% of software engineering organizations will establish platform teams to deliver these reusable tools. This shift is expected to become a critical foundation for accelerating organizational digital transformation and driving business innovation.
In 2025, quantum computing has emerged as a central topic, focusing on security threats and future computing models. Simultaneously, human-machine interaction technologies, such as spatial computing and multifunctional robots, are creating new business opportunities and taking center stage in IT trends.
In a rapidly changing technological landscape, IT companies must consider the following key strategies to prepare for the future and achieve sustainable success:
A comparison of IT trends in 2024 and 2025 reveals that technology is no longer just a tool but a central force enabling business innovation and sustainable growth. Trends such as AI, platform engineering, energy-efficient computing, and Agentic AI each highlight and strengthen both productivity and accountability within organizations in unique ways.
As technological advancements accelerate, companies and organizations must go beyond merely reacting to changes. They need to proactively identify weak signals and respond to these emerging trends early. This approach will empower them to lead innovation and pave the way for sustainable growth.
As seen with ESG in 2024 and energy-efficient computing in 2025, technology is now inseparably linked with environmental and social responsibility. We hold the potential to create a better future through technology, and realizing this potential depends on our readiness and execution.
In the face of rapidly shifting IT trends, maintaining a clear direction and preparing for the future will be the defining factor for achieving competitive success in the digital age.