High tech

High technology (high tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology,<ref>Advanced technology definition</ref>^{[failed verification]} is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available.<ref>Cortright, Joseph; Mayer, Heike (January 2001). High Tech Specialization: A Comparison of High Technology Centers (PDF). Brookings Institution, Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy.</ref> It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market.<ref>Steenhuis, H.; Bruijn, E. J. De (July 2006). "High technology revisited: Definition and position". 2006 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 1080–1084. doi:10.1109/ICMIT.2006.262389. ISBN 1-4244-0147-X. S2CID 32767300.</ref> The opposite of high tech is low technology, referring to simple, often traditional or mechanical technology; for example, a slide rule is a low-tech calculating device.<ref>"Know How To Use a Slide Rule? - Slashdot". science.slashdot.org. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 2019-11-04.</ref><ref>"Slide Rules Were the Original Personal Computers". 5 November 2015.</ref><ref>Slide Rules & Calculators https://www.tnmoc.org/slide-rules-calculators</ref> When high tech becomes old, it becomes low tech, for example vacuum tube electronics. Further, high tech is related to the concept of mid-tech, that is a balance between the two opposite extreme qualities of low-tech and high-tech. Mid-tech could be understood as an inclusive middle that combines the efficiency and versatility of digital/automated technology with low-tech's potential for autonomy and resilience.<ref>Kostakis, Vasilis; Pazaitis, Alex; Liarokapis, Minas (2023-06-20). "Beyond high-tech versus low-tech: A tentative framework for sustainable urban data governance". BigData&Society. 10 (1). doi:10.1177/20539517231180 (inactive 2024-03-08). ISSN 2053-9517.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link)</ref>

Startups working on high technologies (or developing new high technologies) are sometimes referred to as deep tech; the term may also refer to disruptive innovations or those based on scientific discoveries.<ref>"What is Deep Tech and which startups are marking the road (not Uber)". Startup Business (in italiano). 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2020-10-13.</ref>

High-tech, as opposed to high-touch, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.<ref>Williams, Howard (6 June 2019). "Do Customers Want High Tech or High Touch?". Home Business Magazine. Retrieved 2020-03-22.</ref>

History

The phrase was used in a 1958 The New York Times story advocating "atomic energy" for Europe: "... Western Europe, with its dense population and its high technology ...."<ref>"Atomic Power for Europe", The New York Times, February 4, 1958, p. 17.</ref> Robert Metz used the term in a financial column in 1969, saying Arthur H. Collins of Collins Radio "controls a score of high technology patents in a variety of fields"<ref>Metz, Robert (1969). "Market Place: Collins Versus The Middle Man", The New York Times, April 24, 1969, p. 64.</ref> and in a 1971 article used the abbreviated form, "high tech".<ref>Metz, Robert (1971). "Market Place: So What Made E.D.S. Plunge?", The New York Times, November 11, 1971, p. 72.</ref>

A widely used classification of high-technological manufacturing industries was provided by the OECD in 2006.<ref>Hatzichronoglou, Thomas: "Revision of the High-Technology Sector and Product Classification", OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, No. 1997/02, OECD Publishing, Paris.</ref> It is based on the intensity of research and development activities used in these industries within OECD countries, resulting in four distinct categories.<ref>High Tech Trademarks by John Mendenhall, Art Direction Book Co; First Edition (January 1, 1985) ISBN 0881080241</ref>

List of countries by high tech exports

The following is a list of the 15 largest exporting countries of high tech products by value in thousands of United States dollars, according to the World Bank:<ref>"High-technology exports". World Bank Open Data. Retrieved 2023-04-15.</ref>

#	Country	Value	Year
1	China	942,314,815.52	2021
2	Hong Kong	431,628,771.88	2021
3	Germany	209,744,317.15	2021
4	United States	169,217,253.98	2021
5	South Korea	163,987,147.75	2020
6	Singapore	159,927,958.42	2020
7	Japan	116,513,861.43	2021
8	Malaysia	108,683,179.4	2021
9	Vietnam	101,534,392.93	2020
10	Netherlands	101,168,437.61	2021
11	France	97,528,027.44	2021
12	Mexico	74,932,493.34	2021
13	United Kingdom	66,699,915.64	2021
14	Belgium	52,227,761.21	2021
15	Thailand	45,837,990.48	2020