Technology

It started with a Zoom call. As COVID-19 began its spread across the United States, a group of technologists got to talking about how the pandemic could stretch local government resources to the breaking point. The group—which included three former U.S. deputy chief technology officers—hatched a plan to recruit volunteer software engineers, data scientists, interaction designers and project managers to provide free, fast help to public agencies struggling to keep pace with rising community needs.

Google announced in October 2019 that it had achieved quantum supremacy with a new 54-qubit processor—named Sycamore— that was able to perform a calculation in 200 seconds that would have taken the world’s most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years. While competitors raised doubts about Google’s estimate, the project could give the tech company an edge on rivals as early-adopter customers explore new applications—ranging from improved battery chemistry to simulating the physics of new aircraft.

This high-tech tracking project positioned South Korea to become one of the first to flatten the coronavirus curve and kept the national death toll below 350 as of August. Using an app developed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and GPS, case workers could identify and monitor the health and movements of infected people. And the Corona 100m app alerted anyone with a smartphone when they were near a location that was visited by a COVID-19-infected person. Two websites also helped: One showed the travel histories of confirmed COVID-19 patients and another functioned like a search engine for virus-hit areas.

Renowned French industrial designer Philippe Starck worked with Autodesk to create what the U.S. software company billed as the first chair conceived using AI. Unveiled by furniture maker Kartell at Milan’s Salone del Mobile in 2019, it came to life after Starck and Kartell fed ideas—along with parameters like materials, manufacturing methods and cost constraints—into the generative design software, which quickly offered a design option.

Data is moving faster in South America after Google successfully installed Curie, a submerged cable stretching from Los Angeles, California, USA to Valparíso, Chile. Roughly 10,500 kilometers (6,524 miles) long, the subsea cable has been delivering 72 terabits per second of much-needed bandwidth to the continent since late 2019—after a team of divers and engineers tested then buried it. Google announced in November it would be extending a branch to Panama.

One of the world’s largest subsea projects, 2Africa will deliver a major internet boost to 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Announced in May and backed by the likes of Facebook, Vodafone and China Mobile, the US$1 billion project will add 37,000 kilometers (23,000 miles) of cable and is expected to go live by 2024.

Germany’s Kinexon delivered a wearable tracking device in May that helped sports leagues around the world safely resume workouts and games amid COVID-19. First deployed to promote coronavirus social distancing in the workplace, the SafeZone tags provide anonymized tracing of athletes from German Bundesliga Basketball to the National Basketball Association to the National Football League. If a player tests positive, the software alerts anyone who had close contact so they can be tested as well.

Samsung turned smartphone design inside out late last year, introducing the Galaxy Fold with a feature that lets users—ahem—unfold the device to nearly double the screen size to make it an Android tablet with a 7.3-inch (18.5-centimeter) screen. The breakthrough is possible through a polymer material that Samsung calls the Infinity Flex Display. The operating system also adapts: It adjusts depending on whether the device is in phone or tablet mode.

Huawei led the charge in delivering the country’s first 5G wireless network—a massive and much-anticipated project covering 50 cities that went live in October 2019. Huawei aims to have 800,000 5G base stations in place by the end of the year, helping China ramp up to a projected 460 million 5G users by 2025.

U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines and Misapplied Sciences unveiled plans in January to pilot a display board at airports that personalizes flight information for each passenger—even if 75 people are viewing the screen at once. The U.S. startup’s AI software and ceiling-mounted cameras assign information to passengers as they scan boarding passes, then aim pixels at separate passengers to display bespoke flight data.