5 tech trends to get excited about in 2024

This year promises to be a big one for tech, and we’ve already seen these seeds planted in 2023. But what can we expect to make the headlines in the months ahead? Take a quick look at five tech trends we can anticipate in 2024 below, or watch the detailed video on the topic above.

Generative AI in the data center

This past year has been a rollercoaster for NVIDIA, with its stock price skyrocketing due to the large language models (LLM) like ChatGPT running on NVIDIA GPUs. The company is likely to continue forging the way forward in this regard. However, competitors AMD and Intel are not sitting idle. AMD has announced its new series of machine learning accelerator, the Intrinsic MI300 series, which it claim can run a full instance of Meta’s Llama 2 70 billion parameter model on a single unit. This could potentially reduce costs and improve performance.

On the other hand, Intel has introduced its fifth-generation Xeon processors with AI built into every core. Alongside this, it’s also developing its Gaudi 3 AI accelerator, which is expected to roll out later this year. This suggests a three-way battle between Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA for dominance in the expanding LLM market in 2024.

The evolution of GPUs on desktops

NVIDIA’s 40 series is already out, and we might see the 50 series by the end of 2024. However, this depends on the success of the 40 series, the forthcoming 40 series Super revision, and its competitors’ plans.

AMD, currently on its RDNA 3 architecture for its GPUs, might release RDNA 4 by the end of 2024. An early release could potentially force NVIDIA to respond with an earlier release of its 50 series.

Intel, although a smaller player with around 2% to 3% market share, has made an impact with its first-gen Alchemist GPUs. We could see the next version of the architecture, Battle Mage, in 2024. If Intel can maintain low prices while improving performance, it could become a more significant player.

The rise of generative AI in smartphones

We expect to see more generative AI running locally on smartphones and other consumer devices in 2024, as demonstrated by the new chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek and on devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

Apple, which has been relatively quiet on the AI front, released its own large language model in October 2023, suggesting that it might be working on integrating similar technologies in its next series of iPhones.

New processors with quicker cores

The fourth trend involves new processors expected to be released in 2024. If Arm maintains its current pace, we can anticipate new processors announced in the spring, including the Cortex-X5, the Cortex-A730, and the Mali-G730 GPU. Apple is also expected to release the iPhone 16 range with a new processor.

Generally, Apple has launched its non-Pro iPhone models with the previous year’s processor, but that could change. We could have the Apple A18 and A18 Pro coming out with the former running on the base iPhone 16 duo and the latter within the Pro models. The differences between these two chips could be related to GPU power or binning preferences. We’ll have to see how Apple negotiates this.

The emergence of a killer AI app

Finally, every technological revolution has had a killer app that changed everything, from the spreadsheet in the PC era to web browsers and games like Wolfenstein 3D. While we have impressive AI technologies like ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, and Bard, we haven’t yet seen an AI application that becomes so useful that it changes everything.

The killer AI app could be a personal assistant that can handle various tasks, from setting alarms and booking appointments to managing finances and even pre-filling forms. While we may not have the technology for such an app yet, the rapid pace of AI development could lead to its emergence in 2024. Let’s hope we see this revolutionary development in the coming year.