Emerging tech such as IoT and AI is the second lowest priority for businesses next year for the third year running, second only to print services. That is outlook from a survey conducted by business tech provider Softcat, which asked its 1,600 customers across 18 different industries about their intentions for tech spending in 2020. Among those industries, real estate, private health and social work, and energy and utilities ranked big data, IoT and AI seventh and eighth priority respectively – the highest ranking by those questioned. The survey also reports that 56 percent of industries rank end user computing and mobility, the technology which allows for remote working, as their second biggest technology priority. The construction, education and healthcare industries ranked this as their number one priority, ahead of cyber security investment.

UK business investment in new technologies such as quantum computing, blockchain and artificial intelligence is set to jump in the next five years, according to research by the CBI and Accenture. The proportion of firms seeking to invest in quantum computing will increase from 11% today to 32% in five years. The number of those starting to put money into blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies will double from 16% today to 35%. Whilst a third of respondents are also due to begin spending on AI. "These technologies will be used not only to improve customer experience and reduce costs, but open up new frontiers of innovation, from drug discoveries to drone deliveries. As we move from research to reality, investment in quantum computing is set to leap threefold, and could make possible experiments that are currently too costly and impractical," says Felicity Burch, CBI Director of Digital and Innovation.