Enabling technologies—such as advanced materials, microchips and sensors, computing power and connectivity infrastructure—are driving innovation across other areas, not least in information and communications technologies (ICTs), artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. These enabling technologies are reshaping the digital landscape and hold significant potential for applications in both civilian and military domains. While progress has been made in addressing the security implications of ICTs and lethal autonomous weapons systems within various intergovernmental processes, comparatively less attention has been devoted to the underlying technologies that are enabling or driving their further development. This underscores the urgent need for a more thorough and comprehensive examination of enabling technologies as well as their potential impacts on international security. 

To address this knowledge gap, UNIDIR’s annual Compendium on Enabling Technologies and International Security focuses on identifying and analysing key advancements in enabling technologies, with a particular emphasis on those still in their early stages of development or application. This 2024 edition builds upon the 2023 compendium, providing an update on the latest developments in enabling technologies as they relate to international peace and security. While this edition addresses technological developments and applications specific to 2024, the 2023 compendium remains an essential resource for more detailed foundational analyses. 

The compendium categorises enabling technologies into four areas: 

  • Category I: advanced materials, including semiconductors, superconductors and nanotechnology; 
  • Category II: parts and components, such as microchips and sensors; 
  • Category III: processing and computing, covering cloud, edge and quantum computing; and 
  • Category IV: connectivity infrastructure, spanning fifth- and sixth-generation telecommunications (5G and 6G), the Internet of Things and satellite communications. 

Funded by

 

Citation: He, Wenting. “Enabling Technologies and International Security: A Compendium (2024 edition)”, Geneva, Switzerland: UNIDIR, 2024.