2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for technological advancement, but not all innovations generating excitement in marketing campaigns are ready to transform our lives. According to the report 101 Technology Trends That Will—and Won’t—Shape 2025 by ABI Research, several technologies considered revolutionary still face barriers to becoming trends in 2025.
Among them are Artificial Intelligence applied to networks (AI-RAN), smart glasses, humanoid robots, and efforts to repatriate semiconductor production from Asia to America and Europe. While they promise an exciting future, these trends will not have the expected impact in the short term.
Artificial Intelligence Applied to Radio Access Networks
Artificial Intelligence applied to Radio Access Networks (AI-RAN) has captured the attention of the telecommunications industry due to its ability to optimize networks and improve efficiency.
However, this technology is still in its early development stage. Despite promising trials conducted by SoftBank in Japan, commercial implementations are projected to begin no sooner than 2026.
This is due to the high costs of the required hardware and software, as well as the lack of robust business models that justify the return on investment for operators. While 2025 will see progress in pilot testing, large-scale adoption will not occur.
Smart Glasses
Smart glasses, touted as the next big revolution in wearable technology, will also be relegated to limited use in 2025.
Although there have been notable advancements, such as the latest Spectacles models launched by Snapchat, their widespread adoption faces considerable obstacles. These glasses remain expensive and lack compelling use cases to attract a mass market.
Meanwhile, Virtual and Augmented Reality will continue to gain ground in specific sectors like gaming, fitness, and sports, leaving smart glasses as a product for developers and enthusiasts.
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Humanoid Robots: Fascinating technology, but still distant
The image of humanoid robots walking among us remains more of a science fiction dream than reality. While companies like Boston Dynamics have made remarkable advances in hardware and teleoperation, these machines face critical limitations.
The lack of advanced artificial intelligence to manage complex tasks and their high cost have restricted their adoption to specific sectors such as automotive manufacturing. Even in China, which aims to lead the development of humanoids, mass adoption is not expected before 2027.
In 2025, these technologies will remain testing tools in controlled environments, far from entering our homes or offices.
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Semiconductor Repatriation: A delayed dream
Ambitious projects in the United States and Europe to repatriate semiconductor production also face significant barriers. Initiatives like Intel’s factories in Arizona and Ohio or the Magdeburg plant in Germany have been delayed due to the lack of specialized equipment such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines and a shortage of skilled workers.
Although these initiatives are strategic to reduce dependence on Asia, the full operational capacity of these plants will not be reached before 2027. Instead of a quick fix, 2025 will be a year of reevaluation, with governments and companies opting to diversify their supply chains.
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Autonomous Vehicles and 5G RedCap
Other technologies that will not take off in 2025 include the massive deployment of 5G RedCap, a simplified version of 5G designed for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Despite the launch of some modules, this technology still faces challenges such as high costs and limited availability of compatible devices.
Similarly, Level 3 autonomous vehicles will continue to face limitations, as their ability to operate at highway speeds remains experimental and restricted to specific environments, such as German highways.
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Generative Artificial Intelligence: Will it finally be profitable?
On the other hand, Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), which generated great initial excitement, has yet to meet expectations in terms of return on investment. Many companies have abandoned costly projects due to limited results in practical applications. Similarly, the use of humanoids in industrial settings, while promising, will remain limited due to high costs and doubts about their effectiveness compared to traditional solutions.
Why won’t triple-screen foldable phones dominate the market?
Foldable smartphones, despite their evolution in design, durability, and functionality, still account for less than 2% of global smartphone sales. The introduction of triple-screen models, such as those developed by Huawei, has generated excitement, but high production and design costs hinder their mass adoption.
Although leading brands like Samsung, Google, Motorola, and TECNO have contributed to the steady growth of the sector, high prices and technical complexity remain significant barriers. Foldable phones remain a niche technology, and in 2025 their market impact will be limited.
