High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is
technology
Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...
that is at the
cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market. The opposite of high tech is ''
low technology
Low technology (low tech; adjective forms: low-technology, low-tech, lo-tech) is simple technology, as opposed to ''high technology''. In addition, low tech is related to the concept of mid-tech, that is a balance between low-tech and high-tech ...
'', referring to simple, often
tradition
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
al or mechanical technology; for example, a
slide rule
A slide rule is a hand-operated mechanical calculator consisting of slidable rulers for conducting mathematical operations such as multiplication, division, exponents, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry. It is one of the simplest analog ...
is a low-tech calculating device. When high tech becomes old, it becomes low tech, for example
vacuum tube
A vacuum tube, electron tube, thermionic valve (British usage), or tube (North America) is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. It ...
electronics. Further, high tech is related to the concept of mid-tech, that is a balance between the two opposite extreme qualities of low-tech and high tech. Mid-tech could be understood as an inclusive middle that combines the efficiency and versatility of digital/automated technology with low-tech's potential for autonomy and resilience.
Startups
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship includes all new businesses including self-employment and businesses tha ...
working on high technologies (or developing new high technologies) are sometimes referred to as
deep tech
Deep technology (deep tech) is a classification of organization, or more typically startup company, with the expressed objective of providing technology solutions based on substantial scientific or engineering challenges. They present challenges ...
; the term may also refer to
disruptive innovations or those based on scientific discoveries.
High tech, as opposed to
high-touch High-touch refers to the involvement of personal attention and service. In business, the term often refers to situations where trust between the customer and employed individual(s) is necessary. High-touch areas include: medicine, wealth management, ...
, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.
History
The phrase was used in a 1958 ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' story advocating "
atomic energy" for Europe: "... Western Europe, with its dense population and its high technology ...." Robert Metz used the term in a financial column in 1969, saying Arthur H. Collins of
Collins Radio
Rockwell Collins, Inc. was a multinational corporation headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, providing avionics and information technology systems and services to government agencies and aircraft manufacturers. It was formed when the Collins Radio ...
"controls a score of high technology patents in a variety of fields" and in a 1971 article used the abbreviated form, "high tech".
A widely used classification of high-technological industries was provided by the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
in 2006. It is based on the intensity of research and development activities used in these industries within OECD countries, resulting in four distinct categories.
In the 21st century, the high tech industry is a significant part of several advanced economies. The
Israeli economy has the highest ratio in the world, with the high tech sector accounting for 20% of the economy. High tech makes up 9.3% of the
American economy
The United States has a highly developed mixed economy. It is the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and second largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). As of 2025, it has the world's seventh highest nominal GDP per capita and ninth ...
according to
Statista
Statista (styled in all lower case) is a German online platform that specializes in data gathering and visualization. In addition to publicly available third-party data, Statista also provides exclusive data via the platform, which is collect ...
and
CTech.
Ranking of startup ecosystems
Multiple cities and hubs have been described as global
startup ecosystems. GSER publishes a yearly ranking of global startup ecosystems.
The study does yearly reports ranking the top 40 global startup hubs.
List of countries by high tech exports
The following is a list of the 15 largest exporting countries of high tech products by value in millions of
United States dollars
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
, according to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.
See also
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Electronics
Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
*
Electronics industry
The electronics industry is the industry (economics), industry that produces electronic devices. It emerged in the 20th century and is today one of the largest global industries. Contemporary society uses a vast array of electronic devices that ar ...
*
Photonics industry
*
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclear reactions of atomic nucleus, atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear medicine and nuclear weapons. It is also used, among other things, in s ...
*
Quantum technology
Quantum engineering is the development of technology that capitalizes on the laws of quantum mechanics. This type of engineering uses quantum mechanics to develop technologies such as quantum sensors and quantum computers.
Devices that rely on ...
*
Intermediate technology – sometimes used to mean technology between low and high technology
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Industrial design
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
*
List of emerging technologies
This is a list of emerging technologies, which are emerging technologies, in-development technical innovations that have significant potential in their applications. The criteria for this list is that the technology must:
# Exist in some way; ...
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Semiconductor industry
The semiconductor industry is the aggregate of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductors and semiconductor devices, such as transistors and integrated circuits. Its roots can be traced to the invention of the transistor ...
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Big Tech
Big Tech, also referred to as the Tech Giants or Tech Titans, is a collective term for the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. The label draws a parallel to similar classifications in other industries, such as "Big Oi ...
*
Innovation
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or service (economics), services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a n ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Tech
Technology by type
Design