Research Articles

A complimentary collection of extended articles written by our industry experts, sharing some of the key technology innovation trends shaping the next decade.

Thermal management technologies are an integral part of systems within a number of sectors, ensuring optimized performance and safety. This article covers some of the thermal management techniques used in data centers and semiconductors.

Within the growing market for motors for EVs, there are trends around motor technology and topology, power and torque density, materials utilization, and thermal management. The new IDTechEx report "Electric Motors for Electric Vehicles 2026-2036: Technologies, Materials, Markets, and Forecasts" addresses these trends within the markets for battery-electric or hybrid cars, vans, trucks, buses, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and microcars, with OEM use-cases, benchmarking, and granular market forecasts.

Accessing health metrics during any hour of the day is becoming the new norm as wearable technology is gaining traction and becoming increasingly widespread. This article covers some of the most popular wearable types alongside some newer, emerging applications.

The solid-state battery (SSB) industry is transforming, driven by advanced technologies and rising demand across applications. Offering breakthroughs in safety and energy density, SSBs could reach a $10 billion market by 2036. The IDTechEx report "Solid-State Batteries 2026-2036: Technology, Forecasts, Players" provides a comprehensive analysis of this dynamic industry, exploring the interplay between cutting-edge technologies, market trends, manufacturing challenges, and the global ecosystem surrounding solid-state batteries.

Thermal runaway in lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has become one of the most pressing challenges for the global battery energy storage system (BESS) industry.

The telecom industry deploys new generations of wireless communications roughly every 10 years, with 6G expected to enter commercial use around 2030. So what is 6G, why is it needed, and how does it offer to change the game after the somewhat lacklustre performance of its predecessor, 5G?

2025 has been a turning point for the power electronics industry. Despite a slowdown in EV (electric vehicle) sales, IDTechEx forecasts a tripling in the market size of the power electronics for electric vehicles market, to US$42 billion by 2036. In IDTechEx's new report, "Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts", these trends are analyzed and used to forecast unit sales, market size, and US$ per kW.

Join IDTechEx decarbonization expert Eve Pope on Thursday 30th October for the webinar 'Innovations in Post-Combustion Carbon Capture Technologies', where she will share insight into the CCUS space. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

The RFID industry is expected to maintain its upward trajectory, with IDTechEx forecasting the passive RFID market to reach a total value of US$8.4 billion in 2025, representing growth of approximately 10% compared to 2024. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and High Frequency (HF) segments, analyzing their current market dynamics, growth drivers, and long-term opportunities.

Despite six rounds of negotiations to establish a global plastics treaty aimed at curbing plastic pollution, talks reached a stalemate last month. This highlights the urgent need for the development of efficient microplastic capture technologies to tackle microplastic pollution. IDTechEx looks at the emerging technologies to capture and filter microplastics, covering physical, chemical, and biological processes, and the players at the forefront of developing these solutions.

Join IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Dr Conor O'Brien on Thursday 23rd October for 'Cementing its Future: How Graphene Will Achieve Success in Concrete', an insightful webinar considering if its use in the construction industry could mark graphene's long-awaited breakthrough into mainstream markets and the associated commercial success. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

The sleekening and thinning down of electronics is a trend that isn't expected to leave any time soon, as miniaturization, seamlessness, and ease of use continue to be driving factors behind the technological developments across a number of industries. This article explores in-mold electronics, photovoltaics, conductive inks, and flexible batteries.

Growing export restrictions placed on defense-related rare earth materials from China at a time of multiple international conflicts underscores growing demand in the US and Europe to develop alternative supply. China's latest export restrictions on critical rare earth elements applies yet more pressure to what are already tightly controlled materials.

As the trend of vehicle intelligence enhancement rises, in-cabin sensing systems will be largely responsible for increased communication, sensitivity, and smart features within cars. This article explores new developments within the sector and the ways AI is shaping smart interiors.

As of 2025, single-phase direct-to-chip (D2C) liquid cooling remains the dominant solution for high-end GPU thermal management. However, with thermal design power (TDP) continuing to rise, the industry is approaching the limits of what single-phase cooling can handle. Two-phase D2C cooling is expected to enter large-scale deployment around 2027.

The increase in demand for high performance computing is resulting in the need for enhanced semiconductor performance, of which thermal management is a large component. This article covers some of the latest developments and favored materials involved in thermal management for advanced semiconductor packaging.

The performance of supercapacitors is dominated by design and materials choice. Carbon-based materials for electrodes have dominated in the supercapacitors market for electric double-layer supercapacitors (EDLCs), due to low cost, cycling durability and conductivity, and IDTechEx expects this will continue to be the case in the coming decade.

IDTechEx's new report "Power Electronics for Electric Vehicles 2026-2036" analyzes the growth potential and future trends in WBG technologies, from the rapid scaling of SiC MOSFETs to the potential of GaN to consolidate itself in the EV power electronics market. The report includes granular forecasts detailing unit sales, power (GW), and market size (US$) demand segmented by inverters, onboard chargers (OBC), and DC-DC converters by voltage (600V, 1200V) and semiconductor technology (Si, SiC, GaN).

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Thomas Bithell on Thursday 16th October for 'Coating Solutions Providing Advanced Corrosion Protection', an insightful webinar on innovation in anticorrosion coatings. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

Metal-organic frameworks, more commonly known as MOFs, have been recognized with the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The Nobel Prize award recognizes the promise and potential of MOFs, but the question remains over whether MOFs can deliver on the gap between the promise and real-world adoption. IDTechEx Senior Technology Analyst Dr Shababa Selim explains more in this new article.

In this article by Technology Analyst Noah El Alami, IDTechEx explains how the recent announcement of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics links closely to the quantum computing industry, where the prize-winning research has been foundational in building superconducting quantum chips.

The renewable energy sector is becoming increasingly enriched with the developments of clean, green, and natural power sources, with hydrogen and solar being two of the biggest technology names rising within the industry. This article covers some of their latest applications including solar canopy charging, stationary fuel cells, and hydrogen planes.

Glass interposers and glass core substrates are being pursued intensively by leading device makers, materials suppliers, and equipment vendors for advanced packaging applications, as discussed in IDTechEx's brand new report "Glass in Semiconductors 2026-2036: Applications, Emerging Technologies, and Market Insights".

This new report, "Thermal Management For Data Centers 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, and Opportunities", covers in-depth technical analysis of different cooling technologies for data centers, including air cooling, single-phase direct-to-chip cooling, two-phase direct-to-chip cooling, single-phase immersion, two-phase immersion, and microfluidic cooling.

2025 has yielded massive jumps in autonomous vehicle technology, both in hardware and software. IDTechEx's report, Autonomous Driving Software and AI in Automotive 2026-2046: Technologies, Markets, Players, forecasts a more than 1,000 times increase in software-related revenue for autonomous vehicles from 2026 to 2046.

The battery management system acts as the 'brain' of the battery pack, and is responsible for monitoring, control, and communication. This article covers advancing technologies and benchmarking of different sensor types.

Thin film solar cells could be the answer to changing up the photovoltaic market, providing an alternative means of harnessing solar power to the long incumbent heavy and rigid silicon panels. This article covers materials, benefits, and expected growth within the market.

IDTechEx estimates that global rare earth magnet production will exceed 330 ktpa by 2036, as the USA and Europe move to reshore and scale domestic manufacturing capacity. Technology innovations addressing rare earth separation and magnet manufacturing will play a critical role in achieving increased magnet production while reducing reliance on supply-strapped heavy rare earths.

Thermal interface materials are responsible for transferring the heat from heat generating components onto a heatsink in electronic devices. This article covers IDTechEx's benchmarking of some of the most common materials, and the main applications for TIMs.

Join IDTechEx Research Analyst Dr Xiaoxi He on Thursday 9th October for 'Glass Rising in Semiconductors: Applications, Integration Pathways, and Market Signals', an insightful webinar on the cross‑industry trend of glass adoption in semiconductors. Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times during the day.

A data center fire has caused the shutdown of hundreds of online government services in South Korea, likely caused by a battery explosion. This incident is particularly severe, but there have been many like it through the battery energy storage system (BESS) industry, highlighting the need for further improvements to enhance battery safety.

Incidents such as a suspected battery explosion resulting in the recent fire at South Korea's national data center halting major online government services, bring to the fore the need to minimize the risk of thermal runaway events.

The need for thermal protection systems for spacecraft is currently a hot topic a result of recent growth within the space tech industry. This article covers the shift from governmental to commercial expeditions, and explores different types and approaches to thermal management.

In-mold electronics (IME) can allow for surfaces or 3D structures to become functional, with embedded electrical components, to streamline and increase performance capabilities. This article covers some of the main benefits to developments within IME, along with some of the main applications and market forecasts.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have rapidly scaled from laboratory production to a high-volume, critical additive in lithium-ion batteries, driving global capacity expansion and industry consolidation while putting downward pressure on material costs. Beyond energy storage, falling prices and increasing production open opportunities for CNTs in cost-sensitive applications, where they will compete with other advanced nanocarbons such as carbon black.