5 technological forecasts for the public sector for the year 2023

In the past several years, public sector clients from around the globe have rapidly adopted cloud computing to drive innovation in government, education, non-profits, space, and healthcare. Cloud technology enabled them to digitally adapt fast and securely in order to better serve residents.

As 2023 begins, we examine the future of public sector technology and how public sector organizations may continue to adapt and innovate in order to effectively traverse the ever-changing global landscape and the shifting demands of its end users and constituents.

AWS: Cybersecurity will be the focal point of digital operations.
UNO Digital Bank collaborates with AWS to construct a platform.

Increased use of AI and ML to improve mission results

When AWS launched its public sector business in 2010, customers were primarily drawn to the cloud for two reasons: to save money and to increase efficiency by hosting websites and storing data in the cloud. During the past decade, AWS’s public sector clients have become increasingly sophisticated in their cloud utilization, and are now experiencing new benefits and possibilities. They are seeing enhanced business agility and scalability, which has allowed them to rapidly design and execute new services for people, such as releasing applications to combat disinformation during the epidemic and building statewide vaccination systems in a matter of weeks. Moreover, they are updating its infrastructure to save time and enhance performance, allowing them to divert its resources to provide more value to its clients. Nowadays, clients in the public sector seek to harness the cloud for more advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the Internet of Things, in order to promote more innovation and efficiency.

In South Korea, for instance, the Zero Waste Zero Hunger (ZWZH) initiative uses data and artificial intelligence (AI) to decrease food waste. The core of the software is a three-dimensional (3D) food scanner powered by artificial intelligence that monitors food consumption and delivers insights to cafeteria management and consumers. The scanner employs artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to analyze leftover food, detect food waste by kind and cost, and collect quantitative data that helps cafeteria management improve food inventory, amount, and menus.

Amazon anticipates that practically every application will be infused with AI and ML in the future to help achieve mission results, save costs, save precious time, and more. To obtain the full benefits of machine learning, it is essential to have relevant and high-quality data to feed ML models. Amazon advises businesses to develop data management plans that constantly enhance the data’s integrity, accessibility, and security.

Utilizing cloud computing to enhance citizen experiences

Citizens of today anticipate smooth interactions with the government. Their banks, stores, and hotels do an excellent job of understanding them, anticipating their wants, and gratifying them in unexpected ways; they now demand the same from the public sector.

Moreover, many are rising to the occasion. From unemployment insurance to human services, more governments and public sector enterprises are relying on the cloud to offer the appropriate resources at the right time.

As we continue to progress in analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning, and as governments gain experience using these technologies, a commitment to improving and customizing citizen experiences will become more prevalent in the coming years.

Quantum Computer Experimentation

Quantum computers have the potential to accelerate computing operations that are inaccessible to conventional computers. Now with cloud computing, businesses no longer need to be among the world’s largest corporations or most sophisticated research institutes to utilize this potent technology.

A few years back, AWS introduced Amazon Bracket, a platform that enables users to experiment with various forms of quantum technology. Amazon Bracket makes it feasible for the first time to compare quantum technologies side by side and switch between them with a single line of code change. AWS also recently established the AWS Center for Quantum Computing at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), a pioneer in the fields of quantum computation and quantum information; the AWS Center for Quantum Networking, with a mission to address these fundamental scientific and engineering challenges and develop new hardware, software, and applications for quantum networks; and the Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab, where we are assisting customers in accelerating the adoption of quantum technologies.

Quantum computing is still in its infancy, but AWS believes it has enormous promise and will continue to invest in it. As it becomes easier for companies to experiment with quantum computing, we urge our clients in the public sector to investigate what quantum computing can accomplish for their purpose.

Access to more digital twins and large-scale simulations

A digital twin is a live digital representation of an entire system’s digital and physical components. It is dynamically updated with data to simulate the real system’s structure, status, and behavior.

While the notion of digital twins is not new and extends back to the early days of the space program, the cloud is making the technology far more accessible so that any of our clients may construct and run simulations at scale. To realize the benefits, organizations no longer require specialized gear or in-house knowledge.

Amazon IoT TwinMaker, for instance, is a service that enables clients to create operational digital twins of physical and digital systems. The service generates digital representations based on measurements and analyses from a wide range of real-world sensors, cameras, and corporate applications. Amazon has just unveiled, at re: Invent 2022, AWS SimSpace Weaver, a fully managed computing service that enables users to construct, operate, and run large-scale geographic simulations.

Amazon is already observing clients in the public sector, such as the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, using these technologies. Earlier this year, the university unveiled a research project aimed at creating the “digital twin” of an individual utilizing health and environmental data collected from in-home and on-body sensors. Once developed, healthcare practitioners utilize the digital twin to visually test and assess various treatment choices and potential results prior to implementing them in the real world. This is a significant development that can facilitate the delivery of precise, tailored treatment based on data acquired directly from the patient and their surrounding environment.

As entrance barriers continue to decline, we anticipate that an increasing number of public sector organizations will employ digital twins to address their particular mission difficulties.

Space commercialization

The unprecedented expansion of the global space sector presents an amazing potential for innovation. The space sector expanded at its strongest rate in years in 2021. The bulk (958) of the 1,022 spacecraft sent into orbit during the first six months of 2022 were commercial.

AWS reduces the entrance obstacles that firms in the space sector encounter, such as excessive latency, limited bandwidth networks, and infrastructure. AWS provides the infrastructure, speed, and security that enterprises of all sizes require to be successful. Even modest enterprises may have a significant effect on future space missions by embracing the cloud.

For instance, the business Lunar Outpost is utilizing Amazon digital engineering tools, such as AWS RoboMaker, to design and test a new rover that will autonomously cruise the Moon’s surface and aid scientists in their initial exploration of the lunar south pole. In preparation for the imminent launch of the first rover, it is essential to test the robots in a range of difficult operational environments using Amazon digital engineering tools.

Innovation in space may come from everywhere, and both government and commercial clients will continue to develop novel methods for space operations.

Looking ahead

Companies with solid digital foundations have shown to be in a better position to react swiftly and retain continuity for their clients. Putting the proper tools in place will assist firms in preparing for and responding to any future conditions, while also driving the next wave of innovation. At Amazon, we are committed to assisting our global public sector clients in realizing the promise of cloud computing and accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies so they can address issues and better serve their constituents.