What Companies Are In The Technology Field?

Technology did not progress all that fast from the birth of human civilization until the dawn of the industrial revolution. But since then, technology has progressed at an amazing rate. Cars, trains, airplanes, computers, stereos, AI, and cloud computing are all examples of technology that would have been unfathomable 250 years ago. In today’s digitized world, technology is a vital part of everything we do. From consumer services to energy to finance, technology touches everything.

When you think of tech companies, you might imagine a bunch of “crypto bros” and messianic Silicon Valley types talking about how they are going to save the world. Technology companies, however, include many other industries. Some companies focus on the computer hardware that is essential to technology, such as TSMC and IBM. Other companies, such as Microsoft and Google, focus on software and the internet. It doesn’t stop there, however. Companies in such fields as biotech and AI are changing the way we live our lives. Tech companies, some of which are featured below, create some of the most interesting products in the world.

Technology is such an all-encompassing term, it’s important to differentiate the types of technology industries. Companies manufacturing electronics and electronic components, healthcare companies, and energy companies are all part of the technology sector. To keep it simple, we will break technology down into four main sectors:

Companies involved in the hardware aspect of tech produce and manufacture the technological products we use every day. Here are some examples:

TSMC is one of the most talked about tech companies in the world today and is the industry-leading technology company when it comes to semiconductors. The company manufactures over 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Anyone who has ever used a smartphone or laptop has probably used a semiconductor produced by TSMC. TSMC handles the production and “fabbing” of the most advanced chips in the world. In fact, TSMC is so important to global supply chains that hostilities in the Taiwan strait cause huge concern worldwide. In fact, TSMC recently agreed to build its first plant in the United States to hedge against an uncertain future with mainland China. Once the factory is complete, there will be a host of TSMC employment opportunities in the United States.

Apple makes money through a variety of revenue streams but is best known for its high-quality hardware and personal computers and devices. Apple revolutionized how music was played with the iPod and then how phones were used with the iPhone. Now Apple MacBooks are some of the most powerful computers available on the retail market. Apple directly employs around 37,000 people, and indirectly employs an additional 370,000 people in the “Apple ecosystem.” Although most of the heavy manufacturing is carried out by Apple’s partner, Foxconn, all of the hardware tech and design is done by Apple.

Neuralink produces a type of hardware that scares the living heck out of most people. The goal of Neuralink is to one day implant a chip in the brains of humans and merge them with artificial intelligence. According to Elon Musk, this is an insurance policy in case AI becomes sentient and decides the best course of action is to eradicate humanity from the face of the earth. The company has tested brain implants on animals and even managed to get a monkey to play the game of Pong with its brain. Although the concept of cyborg humans can sound dystopian to some, others feel that this is the natural course of human evolution. Just like any other job at a Musk company, a job at Neuralink requires long hours but can give you a chance to work with emerging technologies.

In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company then grew to become an absolute behemoth with its Windows operating system and Microsoft Office software products. Like most tech behemoths, Microsoft has a variety of different revenue streams. The main focus has always been software, though, and programs such as Microsoft Word and Outlook are still regularly used all over the world. Working for a company with such a solid blue-chip background can be a huge addition to any resume.

Google is so well known and so widely used that the word “google” has been incorporated into the English language. Originally started as a search engine, Google is now one of the world leaders in self-driving cars (Waymo) and AI (Deep Mind). Understanding Google’s search algorithm is one of the most important skills for any online business, and thus the company’s power is immense. For instance, being demonetized on YouTube (which Google owns), can make or break careers. A job at Google is an excellent entry point for anyone looking to enter the tech industry.

If you are familiar with Oracle’s business model, then you might consider SAP the European version. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, SAP offers software solutions that are used by small businesses, midsize corporations, large corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and a whole host of other large entities. As companies utilize tech more and more, software solutions that are tailored to a business’s specific goals and needs are of utmost importance. SAP offers employment opportunities in its German office, as well as various offices around the world.

Have you ever read a document on your computer that was labeled .pdf? PDF stands for portable document file, and Adobe Systems created it in 1993. Adobe now offers a whole suite of software products, including Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop, among others. Adobe employs about 26,000 people worldwide and is one of the more established software companies with a storied history.

As technology has become so integral to the human body and general health, many pharmaceutical companies can also be considered biotech companies. However, for this article, we will focus on biotech companies that do not heavily manufacture pharmaceuticals.

Grail’s goal is to solve one of the most daunting problems in health today — how to prevent cancer. The company developed a technology that allows them to track cancer signals in the bloodstream. The idea is that cancerous cells and small tumors release cell-free nucleic acid into the bloodstream. If done correctly, this would enable doctors and scientists to detect cancer that was previously undetectable. Whether you consider Grail to be part of the tech field or the health field, working there is an opportunity to be right on the cusp of cancer prevention.

Illumina focuses on the relationship between the human genome and health. The company develops and manufactures technology that analyzes the human genome and genetic variation. Like Grail, they are looking for genetic signs that might point to a propensity for certain diseases or health problems. The company has been around since 1998. And as geneticists continue to make strides with their research, Illumina provides the technology to detect variations in the human genome.

As technology continues to progress, we will need more and more energy to power it. Here are some of the energy companies in the technology field.

Yes, Tesla is famous for its cars and other modes of transportation, but what it has been doing with energy storage has been just as impressive. Tesla developed a battery called Powerwall that enables people to store energy derived from solar power or the grid. The company has worked to exceed what was previously thought of as the maximum storage capacity for lithium-ion batteries. Tesla also produces batteries at an industrial scale, including one titled, “The Big Battery,” which is located in South Australia.

Twelve is a relatively new company with some promising technology on the horizon. Twelve makes fossil fuel-based chemicals such as fertilizer but doesn’t use fossil fuels. Instead, they are able to develop fossil fuel products using only carbon dioxide, renewable energy, and water. Twelve has also been working with the United States Air Force to, in theory, make a completely carbon-neutral fuel just by using CO2. Although Twelve isn’t nearly as established as the above companies, its concept of creating fuel and fuel-based products using only CO2 could expand in the future.

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Generally speaking, in order to be considered a technology company, a company must develop, use, or sell technology. An aerospace and defense company, for example, can be considered a technology company. Companies in the consumer electronics industries can be considered tech companies. As technology is so intertwined with other companies, a better definition might be a company developing new technology that is different from what’s currently available.

There is no No.1 ranking for technology, but the three biggest technology companies in the world by market capitalization are Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

Facebook/Meta, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are examples of companies considered to be part of “big tech.” However, “big tech” is more of a colloquial term used mainly in politics, to describe the largest and most influential technology companies.

Technologies’ use and purpose are, in many ways, subjective. But some of the biggest advances in technology are coming in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital currency, clean energy, biotechnology, and virtual reality.