The Smart Centres Index 10: Artificial Intelligence And Digital Development Likely To Have Most Impact On Industry Over Five Years

The Smart Centres Index explores the ability of global commercial centres to create, develop, and deploy technology. Leading centres in the SCI are based in places which combine an innovative, cultural centre with a high-performing university sector across STEM subjects, supported by a well-developed regulatory, commercial, and financial services.

• London retained first place in the index, with New York overtaking Zurich to regain second place.
• Five Western European centres feature in the top 10, alongside three US centres.
• Singapore and Tel Aviv also feature in the top 10.
• Four centres rose 10 or more places in the ranking in SCI 10, while two centres fell 10 or more places.
• The average rating in SCI 10 fell by 1.07% following a fall of 1.31% in SCI 9. The smallest reduction in average ratings of 0.76% was in the Middle East & Africa, while the average rating for centres in Latin America & The Caribbean fell 1.77%.
• The continued geopolitical threats caused by conflict and economic instability may be driving a lack of confidence in technology centres across the world.

We asked respondents to the SCI survey to identify the areas of technology which are likely to have the most impact on industry over the next five years. Almost a quarter of respondents identified ‘Artificial Intelligence, Digital And Computing’ as likely to have the greatest impact, with ‘Energy And Environmental Technology’, and ‘Electronics, Photonics, And Quantum Technology’ mentioned by 19% and 15% of respondents respectively.

The top 20 ranked centres in SCI 10 are shown in the table below:

Full details of SCI 10 can be found at www.smartcentresindex.net

Professor Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen said:

“We continue to assess the progress made by commercial centres across the world in innovation and technology. The latest results in the SCI show a slight dip in confidence in the strength of centres, and confirmation that strengths in AI, digital, and computing skills will have a major impact on centres’ performance.”

We invite all those with an interest in the development of innovation and technology centres to take part in SCI 11 by rating the financial and commercial centres you know on our continuously running survey – smartcentresindex.net/survey/.