Fourth Industrial Revolution

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) will establish five new Centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including one in India’s Andhra Pradesh.

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Network

• The Fourth Industrial Revolution Network is a global platform for multi- stakeholder collaboration involving governments, industry, academia and civil society.
• It was launched by the World Economic Forum in 2017 to ensure that emerging and exponential technologies deliver societal benefits while minimising risks.
• The focus areas of these centres would include AI innovation, the energy transition, cyber resilience, and frontier technologies. 
• Existing centres span Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, reflecting region-specific priorities within a global governance framework.

Newly Announced Centres

• European Centre for AI Excellence, Paris (France): Aims to enhance Europe’s global competitiveness through sovereign and trustworthy AI.
• Centre for AI-Driven Innovation, London (United Kingdom): Explores AI convergence with frontier technologies such as quantum and biotechnology.
• Centre for Frontier Technologies, Abu Dhabi (UAE): Concentrates on quantum technologies, robotics and space, with strong public–private collaboration.
• Centre for Intelligent Future, Abu Dhabi (UAE): Focuses on linking frontier AI research with economic and societal challenges.
• Centre for Energy and Cyber Resilience, Andhra Pradesh (India): Promotes innovation in energy transition and strengthens cyber resilience across industries.

Global Significance

• Strengthens international cooperation on responsible adoption of emerging technologies.
• Enables sharing of regional insights to address global technology challenges.
• Supports governments in developing adaptive, future-ready regulatory frameworks.
• Reinforces the role of technology as a driver of inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) – The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) refers to a new phase of technological transformation in which the physical, digital and biological worlds are increasingly converging.  – Unlike earlier revolutions that were driven by a single breakthrough, 4IR is powered by the simultaneous, rapid advancement and fusion of multiple technologies.

Source: TH