When economic revolutions succeed, the incentive for a political uprising is forfeited. The biggest challenge for the scientific revolutionaries of tomorrow would be to ensure that there is equitable distribution of the benefits. For, the world that awaits us promises to be full of seeming paradoxes. On the one hand, people across the world will be connected. Information will flow seamlessly and equally everywhere. There will be greater movement of goods, services and people from one to another part of the world. But politically, countries will continue to be fragmented, keeping their peace-if at all-only because there is business to be done with each other. Socially, a new order of the global elite will emerge. They will look increasingly similar in their aspirations, purchasing power, and beliefs. Down below, the poor will live in different worlds-miserable and cold.

The danger, then, that economic revolutionaries will fall into is of catering only to the rich. The power of biotech, information technology, and artificial intelligence will be put into the service of global elites, who-thanks to biotechnology-will also tend to live longer. Innovations in areas such as healthcare, education, sanitation, and food will be ignored, unless marketers are able to see big opportunities in selling to the poor. Therefore, a new kind of a partner in the revolutions will be needed to reward and recompense private enterprise for the work it does for the sake of the poor. That partner would need to be the State. So far, the role of state world over has largely been to create a conducive environment for enterprise. In future, it will have to lead the changes in science and technology to the poor's door.

Fundamentally, two things about revolutions in the future will not change: one, they will continue to be led by inspired minds and, two, they will continue to impact lives. But unlike the past, radical breakthroughs may not happen. Gains will likely be incremental, and research directed to specific objectives. Again, in the past, breakthroughs happened first and only then were their applications discovered.

A generally richer world will put new issues centrestage. Environment, entertainment, and education (as in knowledge) are top three candidates. A growing population, made worse by higher longevity, will increase the pressure on natural resources. Ways of recycling air and water cost effectively will need to be figured out. Global warming and the depleting cache of fossil fuels would necessitate the development of renewable and green sources of fuel. Greater levels of automation and artificial intelligence, on the other hand, would afford more leisure time to people. New businesses will be needed to keep them entertained and occupied. But perhaps the biggest challenge for industry will lie in developing, discovering, and deploying knowledge-the new differentiator. Finally, the new revolutions may not take place on this planet at all. Mars, then, may sound like a nice destination.

The Golden Age of Biotech

Circuits of the future: nanotubes draped across electrodes

Alzheimer's, Cancer, aids, Down's Syndrome, disease-free plants, regenerative body parts and, perhaps, human immortaility. All these and much more would be on the radar of biotech scientists, now that they've constructed the human genome map. But to make repairs at cell level, scientists will have to understand how proteins in our genes work. Proteomics (the study of proteins) will create the next big wave in biotech. Once the protein mystery is solved, medicines will be able to do almost anything. Repair damaged neurons in an Alzheimer's patient, rebuild the immune system in an aids sufferer, or grow a new layer of skins for a burn victim.

Another revolution will be in terms of regrowing body parts. Scientists are battling ethical issues to experiment with stem cells-cells responsible for growing blood, muscles, and tissues-to find ways to regrow body parts. A breakthrough would mean amputees, deformity, and handicaps become a thing of the past.

Nanotechnology, which explores activities at sub-atomic level, is another exciting area. The premise is simple: since everything-human beings, potatoes, and diamonds-is made of atoms, it is theoretically possible to produce copies of them inexpensively and rapidly, if their chemical structures were replicated. So, sitting in a laboratory one could grow potatoes and diamonds.

Nanotechnology would also make it possible to make 'machines' that work at the sub-atomic level. In March this year, IBM researchers announced that they had succeeded in creating ''a network of tiny transistors from nanotubes only a few atoms wide''. Although its commercial application may be several years away, what it means is that Moore's Law will not only hold true in the future, but it may actually be bettered.

What They Are Betting On
Peer-to-peer technology would be the one to watch out for. Sun itself has brought out Jxta, which is being used by Intel for collaborative development. With development teams spreading across the globe, such applications will come to the fore. Bhaskar Pramanik, Country Head, Sun	Mobile internet is the way to go. A number of PDA devices that are extremely user-friendly will hit the market in droves, taking advantage of developments in areas like Bluetooth. Ubiquitous mobile Net connectivity will become a reality. T.G. Yateendranath, MD, Adamya Technologies
My sense is that embedded technology will come into its own. Already some amount of embedded software lurks even in routine things like the television remote or the microwave. In the future, more and more devices will use embedded technology. Rajeev Modi, CEO, Sasken	Networking is the area where most developments will take place. The networks of today work in isolation. Software is both unreliable and error-prone. Even incremental improvements will make computing experience a pleasure and more wholesome. Pradeep Kar, Chairman, Microland Group

IT: Waiting For The Next Big Thing

Embedded software: fuelling devices boom

In the roller-coaster world of it, crystal-gazing is a hazardous thing. In 2000, asps (application service providers) were supposed to be the next big thing. They weren't. In 2001, 3g replaced asps as the next boom business. Telcos burnt billions buying 3g licences in Europe; putting them to use seems less certain today. However, what's predictable about it is this: having spent trillions of dollars on hardware, software, and services, American companies will now want their it to deliver returns (read: efficiencies). That, experts say, will slow down the pace of innovation in product development.

Still, it is not hard to see where it is headed. With the number of electronic devices exploding, there will be a need to get these devices to talk to each other. Therefore, a common language and a super-medium will become necessary. The power of broadband will enable users to pull in varied information faster. That, in turn, will put pressure on computing power, and test software's ability to manage a mountain load of information and become increasingly user-friendly. Why? Eventually, all it companies will have to look at technology from their consumer's point of view.

Where does that leave India's it services companies? In various stages of evolution. Infosys is trying to become a vertically integrated consultancy company, while HCL Technologies and Wipro want to be technology services companies with a greater global presence.

In the short term, the industry's growth drivers will, according to IDC, be services such as network infrastructure management, packaged software support and installation, systems integration, application outsourcing. Nasscom sees opportunities for Indian it companies in four broad areas: value-added it services such as web-enabling legacy systems and applications; software products, including embedded software; it-enabled services, like call centres and e-businesses in B2B and B2C.

Software India of 2008 as envisioned by Nasscom looks like this: revenues of $87 billion; minimum market capitalisation of $225 billion; more than 10 large Indian MNCs with revenues of $2 billion each; and a few hundred listed companies. Interestingly, post the September 11 attacks, Nasscom is revising its projections. Hopefully, it won't be a major.