2023年十大新兴技术（英文）-世界经济论坛

Incollaboration

withFrontiersMedia

Top10Emerging

Technologiesof2023

FLAGSHIPREPORT

JUNE2023

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20232

Images:Midjourney,StudioMiko.Allimagesinthis

reporthavebeengeneratedusingartificialintelligence.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

Methodology

1Flexiblebatteries

2Generativeartificialintelligence

3Sustainableaviationfuel

4Designerphages

5Metaverseformentalhealth

6Wearableplantsensors

7Spatialomics

8Flexibleneuralelectronics

9Sustainablecomputing

10AI-facilitatedhealthcare

Contributors

Endnotes

Disclaimer

Thisdocumentispublishedbythe

WorldEconomicForumasacontribution

toaproject,insightareaorinteraction.

Thefindings,interpretationsand

conclusionsexpressedhereinarearesult

ofacollaborativeprocessfacilitatedand

endorsedbytheWorldEconomicForum

butwhoseresultsdonotnecessarily

representtheviewsoftheWorldEconomic

Forum,northeentiretyofitsMembers,

Partnersorotherstakeholders.

©2023WorldEconomicForum.Allrights

reserved.Nopartofthispublicationmay

bereproducedortransmittedinanyform

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andrecording,orbyanyinformation

storageandretrievalsystem.

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Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20233

June2023

Top10Emerging

Technologiesof2023

Preface

JeremyJurgensManagingDirector,WorldEconomicForum

Formorethanadecade,theForumhasbeensurveyingacademics,industryleadersandfuturistsontheemergingtechnologiessettotransformeconomiesandsocieties.Indoingso,the

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof2023reportseekstohelpprofessionalsacrosssectorsandindustriesanticipateexponentialtechnologies,interprettheirimplicationsandchampionindustry-shapingandsociety-servingapplications.

Sincethefirsteditionin2011,theannualreporthasidentifiedlittle-knowntechnologiesthathavegoneontohaveglobalimpact.Forexample,theprecisegenetic-engineeringtool,CRISPR-Cas9,featuredin2015,wentontobecomeNobelPrize-winningsciencefiveyearslaterandisnowbeingusedtocreateinsectanddrought-resistantcropsinharshgrowingconditionsaroundtheworld.Messengerribonucleicacid(mRNA)vaccines,whichearnedtheirplaceinthe2017report,becamethetechnologyunderpinningthemajorityofCOVID-19vaccinesprotectinglivesworldwide.InthefewyearssinceAI-ledmoleculardesignmadeitontothe2018list,Deepmind’sAlphaFoldhaspredictedthestructureof200millionproteins,andthefirstAI-discovereddrugshaveenteredclinicaltrials.

Nowinits11thyear,theTop10EmergingTechnologiesof2023reportoutlinesthetechnologiespoisedtopositivelyimpactsocietyinthenextthreetofiveyears.Thereportbroadensitsscopebeyonddescribingthetop10technologiesandassociatedrisksandopportunitiestoincludeaqualitativeassessmentofhoweachtechnologyissettoimpactpeople,theplanet,prosperity,industryandequity.Uniqueforeachtechnology,these“impactfingerprints”aremeanttostimulatefurtheranalysisanddebateabouthowemerging

technologies–someofwhichyoumightneverhaveheardof–canandwillshapeourcollectivefutureintheyearsahead.Alsonewforthe2023editionisacollectionoftransformationmapsfromtheForum’sStrategicIntelligencePlatform,whichprovidedeeperinsightsandcontextoneachtechnologybyshowcasinghowtheyconnecttoothertopicsontheglobalagendaandsurfacingthelatesttrustedpublicationsforfurtherreading.

Thisyear’sreportbringstogethertheperspectivesofover90expertsin20countriesfromallworldregions.Thisreportwouldnotbepossiblewithouttheiropennesstocontributingtheirinsights,andwesincerelythankthemall.Wegreatlyappreciate,too,theleadershipofourTop10EmergingTechnologiesSteeringGroupCo-Chairs,MarietteDiChristinaandBernardMeyerson,who,alongwithmanymembers,havebeenloyalcollaboratorssincetheinceptionoftheTop10EmergingTechnologiesreportseries.Wewouldadditionallyliketothankourknowledgepartnerforthisyear’sedition,Frontiers,forthedeepexpertiseandscientificrigour

oftheirjournaleditors–acrossthearticles,impactfingerprintsandtransformationmaps.Ourthanksalsototheprojectteam:GretaKeenan,SaemoonYoon,MinjiSungandSebastianBuckup,aswellasthewiderteamattheCentrefortheFourthIndustrialRevolutionfortheirinput.

Newtechnologieshavethepowertodisruptindustries,groweconomies,improvelivesandsafeguardtheplanet–ifdesigned,scaledanddeployedresponsibly.Wehopethatthisyear’sreportservesasapowerfultoolforbusinessleadersandpolicy-makerstounlockthetransformativepotentialofemergingtechnologiesandshapetheirinclusiveadoption.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20234

Introduction

AmessagefromtheCo-Chairsofthe

Top10EmergingTechnologiesreport

steeringcommittee.

MarietteDiChristina

DeanandProfessorof

thePracticeinJournalism,

BostonUniversityCollege

ofCommunication

BernardMeyerson

ChiefInnovationOfficer

Emeritus,IBM

Inthe

introduction

ofhis2016book,TheFourthIndustrialRevolution,KlausSchwabadvisedthathumanityshould“takedramatictechnologicalchangeasaninvitationtoreflectaboutwhoweareandhowweseetheworld”.TheTop10EmergingTechnologiesof2023reportisanongoingresponsetothatinvitationtoimprovethestateoftheworldandthehumansinhabitingit.Thedrivingforcesbehindtheinnovationsfeaturedinthisspecialreportaretheaccelerationofglobalconnectivity,theriseofAI,alongwiththeconvergenceofthephysical,digitalandbiologicalworlds.

ConsistentwiththeFourthIndustrialRevolution,severalofthetechnologiescitedusedataandcomputingtoenhancepublichealth.ThelistexploreshowAIisenablingimprovementsinhealthcaredelivery,especiallytothosewholiveinlesswell-resourcedareas;howflexiblebatteriesarepoweringwearabletechnologiesandbendabledisplaysthatenablewearablemedicaldevicesandbiomedicalsensors;andnext-generationneuralelectronicsthatcaninteractwithmillionsofcellsatoncemoresafely.Withmentalhealthissuesmorepressinginthepost-pandemicworld,virtualsharedspacesinthemetaversearefacilitatingglobaloutreachtoservethoseinneed.

Inthisreport,you’lllearnabouthowspatialomicsiscreatinganewgenerationofmolecular-level“cellatlases”tohelpunlocklife’smysteries.Inanewapproachtotreatment,researchersareengineeringviruses,calledphages,toaugmenthuman,animalandplanthealth.

Beyondtheunderstandingandtreatmentofdisease,therapidpublicemergenceofartificialintelligence(AI)showsapotentialtovastlyenhanceaccesstoandimplementationofhumanknowledge.GenerativeAI,embodiedinChatGPTandBard,hasdemonstratedthecreationoforiginalsocialandtechnicalcontentinseconds.Thoseabilitiesdevelopedfrommodelstrainedonvastinformationcontentingestedfromtheweb.Itis,however,importanttobecognizantofthesocietalissuescreatedbythese“super-human”capabilities.

Humanwell-beingalsoultimatelyrequiresahealthyplanet.Addressingthisneed,the“top10”includeswearableplantsensors,whichenableincreasedfoodproductionbyimprovingplanthealth.Withtheimpactofclimatechangeever-moredire,twocitedinnovationsofferprogress:sustainableaviationfuel,madefrombiologicalornon-biologicalsources,andsustainablecomputing,whichispavingthewaytowardsnet-zerocarbondatacentres.However,farmoreinnovationisrequiredtomitigatethisexistentialthreattohumanity.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20235

Methodology

Choosingthetop10listfor2023

Technologiesforconsiderationforthe2023listwerecollectedviaasurveydistributedtothesteeringgroupandwiderexpertnetwork,aswellastheWorldEconomicForum’sInnovatorCommunitiesfromDecember2022toJanuary

2023.Surveyrespondentswereaskedtocompletethefollowingfields:

–Technologyname

–Descriptionofthetechnology

–Fieldsimpactedbythetechnology

–Descriptionoftheimpactofthetechnologyonthesefields,includingbenefitsandriskstosociety

–Justificationforwhythetechnologyshouldbeonthe2023list.

The95validtechnologynominationswerereviewed,debatedandrankedbythesteeringgroupoverthecourseofthreemeetingsbetweenJanuaryandFebruary2023,eventuallywhittlingthelistdowntothefinal10basedonthejudgingcriteria:

–Novelty:thetechnologyisemergingandatanearlystageofincipientdevelopment,notalreadywidelyused.

–Applicability:hasthepotentialtobeofsignificantuseandbenefittosocietiesandeconomiesinthefuture;isnotofonlymarginalconcern.

–Depth:isbeingdevelopedbymorethanonecompanyandisthefocusofincreasinginvestmentinterestandexcitementwithintheexpertcommunity;likelytohaveasignificantimpactinthenext3-5years.

–Power:ispotentiallypowerfulanddisruptiveinalteringestablishedwaysandindustries.

Membersofthesteeringgroupvolunteeredtoauthorthearticlesinthereport,consultingspecialistsintheirnetworksforaddedinput.Allarticleswerefact-checkedandeditedbyFrontiers.

“Impactfingerprint”

ThecontentoftheTop10EmergingTechnologiesof2023reportisbuiltuponthecontributionsofexpertsfromacademiaandindustry.Themethodologyofthiseditionisbasedontheprevious10editionsbutincorporates“impactfingerprint”surveydataforthefirsttime.

Toachievethis,expertgroupsofacademicsandindustryleaderswerecuratedforeachofthe10technologieslistedinthe2023report.Theywerethenaskedtopredictthefutureimpactoftheirrespectivetechnology,ratingtheprojectedinfluenceonascalefrom1to10,shouldthesetechnologiesachievewidespreadadoptioninthenext3-5years.Thesurveyaimedtoassessthepotentialeffectofthesetechnologiesacrossfivedistinctmetrics:

A.People

Participantsratedtheirexpectationsregardingeachtechnology’spotentialtoenhancesecurityanddignity—spanningareassuchasfoodsecurity,accesstocleanwater,andimprovementsinhealthcareoutcomes—overthenextdecade.

B.Planet

Participantsgaugedtheextenttowhichtheyenvisagethetechnologiescouldhelpprotectandrestoreourplanet.Thisincludedconsiderationssuchasrestoringbiodiversity,minimizingwaste,andreducinggreenhousegasemissions.

C.Prosperity

Surveyrespondentswereaskedtoevaluatethepotentialofeachtechnologytoimprovethequalityoflifeforindividualsworldwide.Factorsconsideredincludedjobcreation,enhancedconnectivity,andincreasedleisuretime.

D.Industry

Participantsassessedthepotentialofthesetechnologiestodisruptexistingindustriesandgeneratenewmarketsoverthenextdecade.

E.Equity

Finally,thesurveyaskedparticipantstoratethepotentialforthesetechnologiestopromoteglobalsocietalequity.Thisinvolvedestimatingtheircapacitytodemocratizeaccesstoessentialresourcesandserviceslikehealthcare,energy,materials,andtheinternet.

AcademicsweremainlyselectedfromFrontiers’networkofscientificjournaleditors,whileindustryleaderswereselectedfromtheForum’sInnovator

Communities.

Ofthe100+expertsinvitedtocontributetooneofthe10technologysurveys,69respondentsfrom18countriescontributedtheirassessment.Scoreswereaveragedforeachdimensionoftheimpactfingerprintforeachtechnology,withoptionalcommentscollatedforadditionalcontexttoscores.

Theresultshavebeenvisualizedusingradarcharts(seeFigure1)andarepresentineachsection.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20236

10

9

.

Equity

–Democratizeaccesstohealthcare,energy,materials,internetetc.

.

Planet

–Protectandrestoretheplanet,suchasrestoringbiodiversity

–Limitingwaste

–Reducinggreenhousegases

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

.

Prosperity

–Qualityofpeople’slives,suchascreatingnewjobs

–Providinggreaterconnectivitybetweenpeople

–Increasingleisuretime

.

Industry

–Disruptexistingindustries

–Createnewmarkets

A

E

B

C

D

FIGURE1“Impactfingerprint”radarchart

.

People

–Securityanddignitysuchasfoodsecurity

–Accesstocleanwater

–Improvedhealthcareoutcomes

1

Methodologicallimitations

Thismethodologywasdesignedtoberigorouswithinarangeofconstraints.

First,giventhatsomeofthetechnologiesonthe

listaretrulyemerging,therewerelimitationstohowmanyacademicsandindustryleadersintheForumandFrontiersextendednetworkscouldbeconsideredexpertsonthesetopicsforparticipationintheimpactfingerprintsurvey.

Second,responseratesvariedacrossthetechnologies,withdifferentratiosofrespondentsfromindustryandacademia.

Third,qualitativescoresvariedwithintechnologies,partlyduetodifferentinterpretationsoftheimpactdimensionsandpartlyduetodifferentvantagepoints.

Onbalance,theimpactfingerprintdatavisualizationsprovideacomplementaryqualitativedimensiontothearticlesforeachtechnologyinthisyear’sreportandpromptfurtheranalysisanddebateabouthowemergingtechnologiesarelikelytoshapethecollectivefutureintheyearsahead.

FIGURE2

StrategicIntelligence

transformationmaps

Anotherambitionforthe11theditionofthereportwastofacilitatedeeperreaderengagementwitheachofthetechnologiesbeyondtheshortarticlesincluded.Toachievethis,Frontiersco-curatedtransformationmapsforeachtechnology,housedontheForum’sStrategicIntelligencePlatform,where

ExampleStrategicIntelligencetransformation

readerscanlearnmoreaboutthekeyissuesofeachtechnologyandhowitconnectstoothertopicsontheglobalagendaaswellasfindthelatestarticlesonthetopicfromtrustedsources.

Thedescriptionswerepredominantlybasedonthearticlesinthisreport.KeyissuesweredeterminedbasedonguidancefromthesteeringgroupauthorsandtheinputofFrontiers’editors.KeyissuedescriptionswereresearchedandwrittenbyFrontiers’editors.

map

Licensedforprofessionaluse.

©2023WorldEconomicForum.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20237

01

Flexiblebatteries

Poweringwearabletechnologiesforhealthcareande-textiles.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20239

Impact

fingerprint

Equity

Industry

Prosperity

22.79%

Compoundannualgrowth

ratebetween2022-2027

$240million

Forecastedgrowthoftheglobalflexiblebatterymarketbetween

2022-2027

People

Planet

JavierGarcíaMartínez

ProfessorofChemistryandDirector,Molecular

NanotechnologyLab,UniversityofAlicante

JosephCostantine

AssociateProfessorofElectricalandComputer

Engineering,AmericanUniversityofBeirut

Theabilityofflexiblebatteriestobebent,twistedandstretchedmakesthemidealforuseinwearabledevices.Asthemarketdemandforwearabletechnologiescontinuestogrow,thefutureofflexiblebatteriesispromising,andfurtheradvancesarelikely.Aswithallbatteries,onehurdletoovercomeistheirsafedisposalandrecycling,whichshouldcomeasthetechnologyandassociatedapplicationsbecomecircular.Revolutionaryadvancesinflexible-batterytechnologiesandtheiraccompanyingindustriesareexpectedtocontinueformanyyearstocome.

Fromrollablecomputerscreensto“smart”clothing,

thefutureofelectronicslookstobeincreasingly

flexible.Therapidlyescalatingdevelopmentof

wearabledevices,flexibleelectronicsandbendable

displaysdemandspowersourcesthatmatchthe

agilityofthesesystems.Standard,rigidbatteries

maysoonbeathingofthepastasthin,flexible

batteries–madeoflightweightmaterialsthatcanbe

easilytwisted,bentorstretched–reachthemarket.

Severaltypesofflexiblebatteriesarecurrentlyavailable.

Thesebatteriesarerechargeableandincludelithium-

ionorzinc-carbonsystemsplacedonconductive

polymercurrentcollectors.Insomecases,additives

enhanceconductivityandflexibility.1Theelectrodesof

flexiblebatteriescanbecoatedwith–orevenprinted

onto–flexiblesubstrates,includingcarbon-based

materialslikegraphene,carbonfibresorcloth.

Flexiblebatterieshaveapplicationsinagrowing

numberoffields,includingwearablemedical

devicesandbiomedicalsensors,flexibledisplays

andsmartwatches.Health-relatedapplications

poweredbythesebatteriescouldtransmitdata

wirelesslytohealthcareproviders,facilitatingremote

patientmonitoring.Further,flexiblebatteriesthat

canbeintegratedintothefabricofjackets,shirts

orotherapparelwillberequiredtopoweremerging

textile-basedelectronicswithcapabilitiesranging

frombuilt-inheatingsystemstohealthmonitoring.

Image:

Anewgenerationofflexiblebatteriesmayallowfortheseamlessintegrationoftechnologyintofabricsandclothes.

Credit:Midjourneyand

StudioMiko.

Prompt(abbreviated):“Technologyfabricwithinterwovendigitalelements”.

Readmore:

Discoverexpertanalysisrelatedto

flexible

batteries

ontheStrategicIntelligencePlatform.

Theflexiblebatterymarketisexpectedtoexpand

rapidlyinthecomingyears.Onestudyforecasts

thattheglobalflexiblebatterymarketwillgrowby

$240.47millionfrom2022-2027,acceleratingata

compoundannualgrowthrateof22.79%duringthis

period.2Theprimarydriversofgrowthareexpected

tobetheincreasingdemandforwearabledevices

andthegrowingtrendtowardsminiaturizationand

flexibilityofelectronics.

Severalcompaniesareactivelydevelopingand

commercializingflexiblebatterytechnology,

includingLGChem,SamsungSDI,Apple,Nokia,

FrontEdgeTechnology,STMicroelectronics,

BlueSparkTechnologiesandFullriverBattery

NewTechnology.3However,thereisstillroomfor

innovationinthisspace,andnewplayersarelikely

toenterthemarketasthetechnologyevolves.

02

Generativeartificialintelligence

Expandingtheboundaries

ofhumanendeavour.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof202311

Impact

fingerprint

People

Planet

Prosperity

Industry

Equity

OlgaFink

ProfessorofIntelligentMaintenance

andOperationsSystems,EPFL

JulienWeissenberg

Founder,DeepTechExperts

ThenewestdevelopmentsinvolveautonomousAIsystemsthatcanmakeimportantdecisionsortakesignificantactions.Forinstance,

AutoGPT

isanautonomousAIapplicationusingtheGPT-4languagemodel.AutoGPTcanautomaticallyaccomplishauser-identifiedgoalbydividingthegoalintosmallertasksandemployingtoolslikeinternetsearchesortext-to-speechtechnology.ThegrowingintegrationofgenerativeAItechnologies,particularlyautonomousAI,intomultipleaspectsofpeople’sdailylives,isgeneratingbothpublicexcitementandconcern.

TobuildpublictrustingenerativeAI,applicationsshouldmeetagreed-uponprofessionalandethicalstandards.GenerativeAIsystemsrepresentthedatatheyweretrainedonandtheconventionsgoverningsocietyatthattime.CareshouldbetakentomitigateAIbiasbasedontrainingdata,withafocusonincluding“outlier”dataandnovelsocietalconventions.Further,thedecision-makingprocessesofanapplicationshouldbeeasytounderstand,anapplication’sgoalsshouldbeclearlydisclosedtooperatorsandendusers,andindividualprivacyshouldberespected.Ethicalguidelinesandgovernancestructuresmustbedevelopedtomitigatepotentialharmandensurethattechnicalprogressisbalancedwithresponsibleuse.Finally,copyrightattributionmustbeaddressedsothatpropercreditisgiventoAIdesigners,creatorsoftrainingdataandauthorsofinstructionsforusingtheapplications.

Withthecorrectcontrolsinplace,generativeAIcanprovidemoretimeforcreativity,demonstratetheboundariesofknowledge,andactasasparringpartnertochallengeconventionalthinking.

Generativeartificialintelligence(AI)isapowerful

typeofAIthatcancreatenewandoriginalcontent

bylearningpatternsindata,usingcomplex

algorithmsandmethodsoflearninginspiredbythe

humanbrain.WhilegenerativeAIisstillcurrently

focusedonproducingtext,computerprogramming,

imagesandsound,4thistechnologycouldbe

appliedtoarangeofpurposes,includingdrug

design,architectureandengineering.

Forexample,atthetimeofthiswriting,initialwork

hasbeenpublishedongeneratingcandidatedrug

moleculestargetingparticularconditions5and

oncreating

picturesofimaginarybuildings

oron

generatinginteriordesign

.NASAengineersare

currentlyworkingtowardsAIsystemsthatcan

constructlightweightspaceflightinstruments,

achievinga10-foldreductionindevelopment

timewhilesimultaneouslyimprovingstructural

performance.6GenerativeAItechnologiesmay

evenimpactthefoodindustryandthedesignof

everydayobjects,fromfurnituretoappliances.In

scientificresearch,generativemodelscouldfacilitate

breakthroughsbyimprovingexperimentaldesign,

identifyingrelationshipsbetweendataelements

andcreatingnewtheories.Forexample,recently

developedAIalgorithmscan

translateamathematical

formula

intoplainEnglishoranalysebrainactivity

datatogeneratedrawingsoftheobjectsthathuman

participantsareholdinginmind.7,8

Highschoolanduniversitystudentsareusing

generativeAImorefrequently,withsomeinstitutions

forbiddingtheirusewhileothersareintegrating

generativemodelsintoteachingpractices9or

Image:

GenerativeAIcansynthesizewhatithaslearntfromgiganticdatasetstocreateandintuitnewinformationinnovelways.

Credit:Midjourneyand

StudioMiko.

Prompt(abbreviated):“Glitchedimageoverlayingvariousstylesofpainting,photographyand3Drenderings”.

Readmore:

Discoverexpertanalysisrelatedto

generative

artificialintelligence

ontheStrategicIntelligence

Platform.

eventrainingstudentstomasterthesetools.Used

properly,generativeAIcancreatepersonalized

curriculathatadjusttostudentskillsandlearning

progresswhileencouragingcriticalthinking,igniting

creativityandharnessingnovelideas.

Intheworkplace,theuseofAI-basedlanguage

modelsliketherecentlypopularChatGPTorits

successorscanincreaseproductivityandimprove

outputquality,restructuringhumantaskstowards

ideagenerationandeditingasopposedtorough

drafting.10GenerativeAItechnologiesspecifically

benefitlow-abilityworkersandcanincreasejob

satisfactionandself-efficacy.Giventhepotential

forproductivitygainsresultingfromadoptingthese

newtechnologies,it’scrucialtoacknowledgethe

likelihoodofjobdisplacement.Assuch,policies

andprogrammesthatsupportworkersintheirefforts

toupskillandreskillareessentialinensuringthatthe

benefitsoftechnologicalinnovationarewidelyshared

andthatworkersareequippedwiththeskillsneeded

tothriveinthechangingjobmarket.

03

Sustainableaviationfuel

Movingtheaviationindustrytowardsnet-zerocarbonemissions.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof202313

2-3%

ofannualglobalCO2emissionsarefromaviation

Industry

Prosperity

Impact

fingerprint

People

Planet

Equity

Image:

Sustainableaviationfuel,createdfrombiomassandcombinedwithotherdecarbonizationstrategies,plotareliablecoursetonet-zeroaviation.

Credit:Midjourneyand

StudioMiko.

Prompt(abbreviated):“Dropsoffuelsplashingintheshapeofleaves”.

Readmore:

Discoverexpertanalysisrelatedto

sustainable

aviationfuel

onthe

StrategicIntelligence

Platform.

MarietteDiChristina

DeanandProfessorofthePracticeinJournalism,

BostonUniversityCollegeofCommunication

LeeSang-Yup

SeniorVice-PresidentforResearch,KoreaAdvanced

InstituteofScienceandTechnology

LaurenUppinkCalderwood

Head,ClimateStrategy,CentreforNatureandClimate,

WorldEconomicForum

reactions.Syngascanbepreparedfrombiomassorwastesor,betteryet,fromcapturedCO2andgreenhydrogenusingrenewableenergy.

ThesecondSAF,approvedin2011,isproducedfromplantoilandanimalfat.Theavailabilityandcollectionofrawmaterials,alongwiththeneedforsustainablyproducedgreenhydrogen,remainmajorchallengesforthisoption.Metabolicallyengineeredmicroorganismsthatcanbreakdownabundant,non-ediblebiomasscouldpotentiallyreducedependenceonplantoilsandanimalfats.17

Overthepastseveralyears,sevenmoreSAFshavebeenapproved,withotherexcitingcandidatesstillinactivedevelopment.OneexampleusesengineeredbacteriatoimprovetheSAF’senergyprofile.18In2023,aconsortiumofactorsintheUnitedKingdomispoisedtodeliverthefirstnet-zerotransatlanticflightusingsolelysustainable