In 2024, 83 companies joined the global unicorn club, a sharp decline compared to the unicorn frenzy of 2022 and 2023, when hundreds of startups crossed the $1 billion valuation mark. Although becoming a unicorn has become much harder, the AI sector defied this trend, producing more unicorns than any other industry.

The packaging segment is projected to record a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. The packaging industry utilizes significant quantities of metals particularly aluminum and steel, which are among the most extensively recycled materials worldwide. The metal packaging Industry is prominent because of its crucial role in reducing waste.

The semiconductor industry has been on a meteoric rise, with market revenues surging by an astonishing 75% since 2019. This rapid growth has helped the largest players in the market, including Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung, and Intel, to add trillions to their stock values. And the momentum isn’t slowing down, with 2025 set to push the market to new record highs.

AI adoption has skyrocketed over the past years as businesses and individuals increasingly integrate AI-powered tools into everyday life. In 2020, less than 116 million people used AI daily, a figure that nearly tripled to 314 million last year. But the momentum is far from slowing down, with projections showing tens of millions of new users embracing AI this year.

Flexible plastic packaging is a versatile, durable solution produced using lightweight, flexible plastic materials. It is widely used multiple Industries, including food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, personal care, and household products. This type of packaging protects products from external elements such as light, air, and contaminants, which can degrade their quality.

Artificial intelligence has been the leading technology for the past two years, driving innovation, setting new standards, and fueling the tech industry's impressive growth. That hasn't changed in 2025, with AI remaining the most critical sector, followed by cloud computing and robotics. While all three markets continue shaping the tech industry, their growth rates vary significantly, with AI pulling far ahead.

According to data presented by AltIndex.com, the AI market is expected to surge by 350% by 2030, 2.5 times faster than cloud computing and six times faster than the robotics sector.

AI's Growth Outpaces Every Tech Sector Except Blockchain

AI's journey over the past five years has been quite impressive. The market's value has more than doubled, reaching $240 billion and attracting 370 million users worldwide. VC investments into AI startups soared, while AI giants' triple-digit gains fueled the S&P 500's strong growth, with Nvidia as the largest contributor. With revenue, users, and investments skyrocketing, AI has left other tech sectors struggling to keep up.

According to the IEEE Impact of Technology in 2025 global survey conducted among 350 CIOs, CTOs, and IT directors in large companies across sectors in the US, the UK, China, Brazil, and India, 58% of them named AI as the most critical area of technology in 2025. Cloud computing and robotics trailed with 26% and 24% shares, respectively. While all three sectors will undoubtedly shape the future of technology, AI's growth is unmatched.

According to Statista Market Insights survey, the AI sector will skyrocket by 350% and hit a $826 billion value by the end of the decade, an increase of more than half a trillion dollars from its current value. In comparison, the public cloud market will grow by 133% in this period, or 2.5 times less than AI. With a projected 58% growth by 2030, the robotics segment lags six times behind. Statistics show that IoT and semiconductors will grow by around 60%, five times slower than AI. Other tech sectors will see an even bigger difference. IT devices, services, and software will grow between 10 and 25 times slower, with increases of just 14%, 32%, and 27% by 2030, respectively.

On the other hand, blockchain is the only surprising contender. According to Fortune Business Insights data, the industry is poised for explosive growth, projected to surge by an astonishing 2,970% in the next five years, reaching a valuation of over $825 billion by 2030.

AI to Add 9.5% to Global GDP Growth by 2030, 5x More than This Year

AI's impressive growth is not just about the market value. The entire industry is also set to have a major impact on the global economy and GDP growth. According to Statista, AI-driven technologies could boost global GDP by 9.5% by 2030, or five times more than this year.

In an optimistic scenario, AI's economic impact could rise even further, adding 11.41% to global GDP by 2030. Even the conservative scenario predicts an 8.81% boost over the next five years.
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China is likely to register the highest polypropylene capacity additions globally by 2028, contributing about 45% of the total capacity additions from the upcoming planned and announced projects, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Powered by AI, 5G, and the drive for sustainability, the Internet of Things (IoT) has reshaped the world we know, connecting everything from homes to factories, unlocking real-time insights and unmatched efficiency. With surging demand for IoT solutions across sectors, the entire market has doubled in size since 2018, setting the stage for a groundbreaking milestone in 2025.

According to data presented by AltIndex.com, the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to become a trillion-dollar industry this year.

The machine learning industry has skyrocketed in recent years, revolutionizing how businesses operate at every level, from decision-making and product innovation to manufacturing and logistics. Despite significant challenges in 2022 and 2023, the market has surged by over 60% since 2020. Still, that is nothing compared to growth projections for the following years.

The Asia Pacific region is driven by industrialization, technological advancements, growing end-user industries, government support, increasing investments, and emerging markets providing significant growth opportunities for the fiber laser market. Additionally, presence of key fiber laser manufacturers such as Wuhan Raycus Fiber Laser Technologies Co., Ltd. (China), Maxphotonics co.,ltd (China), research institutions, and academic centers that play crucial role in the technological progress in lasers, optics, photonics, and related fields contribute to the growth of fiber laser market. Countries like China, India, South Korea, and Japan are undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, which creates demand.

The outlook for nonfinancial companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for 2025 is stable. This is a change from our 2024 outlook, which was negative. Receding inflation, easing monetary policy and a moderate pickup in growth set the stage for slightly improved credit conditions in 2025. But geopolitical risks, uncertainty about trade policy from the incoming Trump administration in the US, structurally high energy costs and cautious consumer sentiment continue to weigh on prospects.

Keypoint Intelligence, the leading provider of data-driven insights for the digital imaging industry, has released its latest report: Wide Format Print Forecast: 2023-2028.