Technology

The Global Economy Could Split in Very Different Directions by 2050

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Research from the BCG Henderson Institute Details Four Plausible Scenarios for the World over the Next 25 Years, Based on Analysis of More Than 100 Megatrends and a Century of Historical Data

BOSTON, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The global economy could follow markedly different paths over the next 25 years. For business leaders, the challenge is how to make decisions today while preparing for a wide range of possible futures.

New Scenarios 2050 research from the BCG Henderson Institute (BHI), Boston Consulting Group’s think tank, anticipates four distinct futures that push boundaries but remain plausible. The report explores what each scenario could mean for businesses and how early signals may indicate which direction the world is heading.

Among the findings:

Global GDP growth could slow to about 1.8% or rise to 5.0% annually, with the economy reaching anywhere from 1.6 to 3.4 times today’s size.Global trade could fall to about 35% of GDP—roughly Cold War–era levels—or remain near current levels of about 60%.Defense spending could climb to as much as 7% of global GDP.Low-carbon electricity could account for 55% to 90% of power generation.

The report, Beyond Tomorrow: Four Scenarios for the World of 2050, is based on a century of historical data and analysis of more than 100 megatrends across technology, geopolitics, climate, society, and economics.

“The decisions made in the next 5 years will shape the next 25,” said Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute and a coauthor of the report. “Too often, the future is framed in extremes—either collapse or abundance. In reality, leaders need to be ready for a range of outcomes and make decisions that hold up across very different conditions.”

Four Plausible Futures Leaders Should Plan For

Each scenario presents a different operating environment for businesses, reflecting the range of conditions leaders may face.

Scenario 1: AI Abundance. Global cooperation on AI standards leads to faster productivity growth, wider access to technology, and abundant low-carbon energy:

Global GDP more than triples, growing by about 5% annually from 2025 to 2050—the highest level across BHI’s four plausible scenarios.Average working hours fall by about 25%, with four- or even three-day workweeks becoming common in some regions.AI-supported advances in new materials and carbon removal put the world on a delayed but credible path to net zero emissions.

Scenario 2: Battling Blocs. Geopolitical tensions divide the world into competing blocs, reducing cooperation and reshaping global trade:

Global trade falls to about 35% of global GDP, down from 57% in 2024—reversing decades of globalization.Defense spending rises to about 7% of global GDP, the highest across BHI’s four scenarios, as countries prioritize security and self-sufficiency.Global GDP growth slows to about 1.8% annually, the lowest across the four scenarios, underpinned by government spending on national security, pensions, and climate mitigation.

Scenario 3: Climate Coalition. A series of extreme weather events in the late 2020s push governments, industries, and consumers to prioritize climate resilience, accelerating the shift to low-carbon energy and infrastructure:

Global warming stabilizes at about 1.8°C.Carbon markets expand globally, with most major economies participating by 2040.The share of fossil fuels in the energy mix falls from 81% today to 35% in 2050, while electricity is generated almost entirely from low-carbon sources.Global GDP growth averages about 2.5% annually, reflecting a focus on the climate transition, slower population growth, and aging societies.

Scenario 4: Digital Darwinism. Rapid technological progress continues under limited regulation, driving strong growth while concentrating wealth and power among leading companies and tech-rich nations:

Global GDP grows at 4% per year, resulting in a near tripling of GDP.The richest 1% holds nearly half of global wealth, while the middle class continues to shrink.Gig-style and short-term contract work expands as AI and automation displace routine knowledge work.Defense spending rises to about 4% of GDP, up from 2.4% in 2024, as the global order becomes more fragmented. At the same time, global trade and supply chains remain open, driven by commercial interests.

What Leaders Can Do Now

Across all four scenarios, the report highlights “low regret” moves that make sense for business leaders today, including:

Enhance structural resilience. Rebalance toward resilience over efficiency to maintain operations in a more volatile environment.Reimagine talent for aging populations and AI. Build strategies for intergenerational work, more flexible roles, and talent mobility—and recruit more widely, especially from emerging labor markets.Build digital flexibility and trust. Take a modular approach to tech and data stacks that accounts for rapidly changing technologies.Sharpen sensing and influencing capabilities. Develop sensing capacities along dimensions like regulation, geopolitics, resources, and technology. Build the capability to act on them quickly.Embrace a broader societal role. Prepare to shoulder more responsibility for workers’ well-being, local resilience, crisis management, and community needs.

“No one can predict exactly what 2050 will look like, but the forces shaping it are already visible,” said Alan Iny, a partner and director at BCG, a BCG Henderson Institute Fellow, and a coauthor of the report. “Planning for a single future is a gamble. The advantage will go to leaders who prepare for multiple futures and act to shape them before the direction of the world is clear.”

Download the publication here: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/beyond-tomorrow-four-scenarios-for-the-world-of-2050

Media Contact:
Eric Gregoire
+1 617 850 3783
gregoire.eric@bcg.com

About the BCG Henderson Institute
The BCG Henderson Institute is Boston Consulting Group’s strategy think tank, dedicated to exploring and developing valuable new insights from business, technology, and science by embracing the powerful technology of ideas. The Institute engages leaders in provocative discussion and experimentation to expand the boundaries of business theory and practice and to translate innovative ideas from within and beyond business. For more ideas and inspiration from the Institute, please visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).

About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Technology

Sunlighten Introduces PulseIQ™: The Intelligent Platform Redefining Infrared Wellness

Published

52 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

PulseIQ™ delivers four distinct wavelengths independently, adapting each session to support recovery, relaxation, and performance.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Sunlighten, the global leader in infrared sauna innovation, today announced the launch of PulseIQ™, its proprietary intelligent wellness platform. This breakthrough sets a new standard for how infrared energy is delivered, absorbed, and translated into personalized wellness outcomes.

For decades, the sauna category has remained largely unchanged. Traditional saunas deliver heat. Most infrared saunas claim “full spectrum,” but in reality blend wavelengths together into a single, undifferentiated output.

The result is a one-dimensional experience. The sauna turns on, heat increases, and the body is exposed to inconsistent energy with no control over how it is delivered or absorbed.

PulseIQ™ changes that.

PulseIQ™ redefines how infrared works by delivering red light, near-, mid-, and far-infrared separately and intelligently. Instead of blending wavelengths and losing their effectiveness, PulseIQ™ isolates and controls each wavelength so your body receives the right type of infrared energy at the right time.

This is infrared intelligence. This is PulseIQ™.

A Category Built on Heat. Reimagined Around Outcomes.

Most saunas today operate with a simple on and off experience. As heat rises, there is no control over the wavelengths being delivered. The distinct benefits of each wavelength are lost, reducing the experience to heat rather than targeted infrared energy.

The difference is not just how many wavelengths are present. It is how they are delivered.

Your body responds to each wavelength differently. When they are blended together, your body cannot fully use them. You are not truly receiving distinct infrared light energy.

PulseIQ™ changes that by isolating each wavelength and delivering it with precision. This allows your body to absorb more usable energy, driving better outcomes based on what your body needs that day.

Because wellness is not static. Your body’s needs change daily. Your sauna should adapt with you.

From One-Dimensional Heat to Personalized Infrared Therapy

PulseIQ™ transforms the sauna experience from passive heat to an intelligent, outcome-driven wellness solution.

Four distinct wavelengths delivered independently so each can perform its specific role in the bodySix science-backed wellness programs designed around goals like recovery, detoxification, relaxation, and performancePrecision control of energy delivery and temperature to eliminate peaks and valleys and keep the body within optimal therapeutic ranges

Each wavelength is delivered at the intensity and depth your body can absorb, ensuring the energy is not just produced but used effectively.

Red light supports skin health and surface-level repairNear-infrared supports cellular energy and recoveryMid-infrared supports circulation and muscle recoveryFar-infrared supports core temperature and detoxification

By controlling how this energy is delivered, PulseIQ™ helps your body achieve the specific wellness outcomes you are seeking, whether that is faster recovery, deeper relaxation, improved circulation, or daily restoration.

An Intelligent Sauna That Evolves With You

PulseIQ™ is designed not just for today, but for the future of personalized wellness.

“Infrared has never been about heat alone. It is about how the body responds to light,” said Connie Zack, Co-Founder of Sunlighten. “With PulseIQ™, we control the light your body is receiving so it can absorb more of what it needs. That leads to better outcomes, whether you are focused on recovery, relaxation, or long-term wellness.”

PulseIQ™ introduces an intelligent platform that evolves with you, helping you get more personalized results from every session.

“We are building the next generation of sauna technology,” said Aaron Zack, CEO of Sunlighten. “Our bodies are complex and constantly changing, yet most saunas offer a one-dimensional on and off experience. With PulseIQ™, we’re measuring data every day and using it to advance our technology. In the future, your sauna will be able to guide you. If your body needs recovery or support, it will recommend the right program for you. The sauna you buy today should grow with you, adapting to your needs and helping you achieve better wellness outcomes over time.”

Engineering the Future of Infrared Wellness

For more than 25 years, Sunlighten has led the industry through science, innovation, and a deep understanding of how the body responds to infrared energy.

PulseIQ™ builds on that foundation with a clear focus on what matters most to consumers.

Not just heat.
Not just presence of wavelengths.
But how effectively that energy is delivered and absorbed by the body.

PulseIQ™ delivers the most usable infrared energy at precise wavelengths your body can absorb, giving you greater confidence that every session is working toward your wellness goals.

Redefining What Infrared Should Deliver

PulseIQ™ reframes the conversation around infrared saunas.

This is not about turning heat on and off.
This is about controlling the energy your body receives.

With PulseIQ™, Sunlighten introduces:

1 intelligent sauna platform4 precisely controlled, distinct wavelengths6 guided, science-backed wellness programsA system designed to evolve and personalize over time

Better delivery leads to greater absorption.
Greater absorption leads to better wellness outcomes.

This is infrared intelligence. This is PulseIQ™.

About Sunlighten

Sunlighten is the global leader in infrared sauna and light-based wellness innovation. With more than 25 years of expertise, patented technologies, and a commitment to science-backed performance, Sunlighten designs products that help the body perform, recover, and thrive.

Contact:

Maria Dolgetta

mdolgetta@sunlighten.com

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SOURCE Sunlighten

Technology

Novita AI Ranked as the Best Performing & Reliable Inference Layer

Published

52 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

120+ LLMs through a single API, with day-0 model availability, OpenAI and Anthropic compatibility, and top-ranked performance validated by Artificial Analysis.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As demand for open-source AI infrastructure grows, Novita AI is establishing itself as the inference provider for developers and engineering teams that need fast and affordable inference for production AI. The platform covers more than 120 large language models through a single OpenAI-compatible and Anthropic-compatible API, makes every new model available on release day, and ranked #1 for scientific reasoning accuracy across all major inference providers, according to independent benchmarking by Artificial Analysis.

Novita AI is trusted by leading teams across the AI ecosystem, including Hugging Face, Quora, OpenRouter, Vercel, Kilo Code, and Genspark.

“Open-source AI moves at a pace that most infrastructure hasn’t kept up with,” said Junyu Huang, COO of Novita AI. “We built Novita to close that gap. When a new model ships, developers can be in production with it the same day, on infrastructure they can actually rely on.”

Artificial Analysis provides comparison and analysis of AI models and API hosting providers, with independent benchmarks across key performance metrics including quality, price, and output speed. In its GPT-OSS 120B assessment covering all major inference providers, Novita AI ranked as follows (April 2026):

GPQA Diamond (scientific reasoning): #1 among all providers, scoring 79.0% across 16 runs

AIME 2025 (advanced mathematics): 93.3% across 32 runs, at the level of the top providers

IFBench (instruction following): #5, scoring 68.9%, within 0.8 points of the top provider

Source: Artificial Analysis GPT-OSS-120B Provider Benchmarks, April 2026.

New models ship constantly. Novita AI makes each one available through its API on release day, without exception. For engineering teams running evaluation pipelines or production systems that depend on current models, access is never the bottleneck.

Novita AI hosts more than 120 LLMs across every major model family, including Qwen, DeepSeek, LLaMA, Mistral, Gemma, GLM, Phi, and more. All models share the same API format, authentication, and SDK. Teams on the OpenAI or Anthropic SDK can switch to Novita by changing the base URL.

Novita’s API works out of the box with Claude Code, OpenClaw, Codex CLI, and OpenCode.

Novita AI delivers fast inference with the full feature set production AI teams depend on, with no tiered restrictions or add-ons.

Tool calling: compliant with OpenAI and Anthropic function-calling specifications, supporting multi-turn agent workflows

Structured outputs: JSON responses that conform to a specified schema, no parsing wrappers needed

Prompt caching: lower latency and token costs for RAG pipelines and agent sessions with repeated context

Novita AI is an AI and agent cloud platform helping developers and startups build, deploy, and scale models and agentic applications with high performance, reliability, and cost efficiency. The platform delivers fast inference across 120+ LLMs and multimodal models through a single API, alongside GPU Instances, Bare Metal, and Agent Sandbox infrastructure built for production AI.

For more information, visit novita.ai.

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SOURCE Novita AI

Technology

Arasan acheives the Industrys First ASIL-D Certification for its CAN XL IP Core

Published

52 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Arasan announces the industry’s first ASIL-D Certification for its CAN XL IP. The certification also covers Arasan’s CAN FD IP and CAN 2.0 IP.

SAN JOSE, Calif., Apr. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Arasan Chip Systems, the industry’s leading provider of IP for Mobile and Automobile SoC’s, announced today that its CAN XL IP has achieved the ASIL-D Certification. The CAN XL IP has been independently certified by SGS-TÜV Saar as ASIL-D, the highest safety level of functional safety defined in ISO 26262, the international standard for functional safety in road vehicles.

The CAN XL IP is backward compatible with the CAN FD and CAN 2.0 standards. The ASIL-D certification also covers Arasan’s CAN FD IP and CAN 2.0 IP which will continue to be sold as ASIL-D certified independent products.

Arasan is offering a free upgrade to its CAN XL IP for customers interested in licensing CAN FD until June 30, 2026. The gate count increase from CAN FD to CAN XL is minimal and customers are encouraged to leverage this promotion to adopt the latest version of the CAN Specification, CAN XL.

“Arasan’s IP have been used extensively in mission critical and life endangering applications in defense, nuclear, aerospace, medical and automotive ADAS SoC’s ” said Ron Mabry, VP of Sales at Arasan. “The ASIL-D Certification attests to our fail safe design philosophy”.

Arasan’s has an extensive portfolio of ASIL-B, ASIL-C and ASIL-D certified products including the MIPI DSI-2 IP for Display, MIPI CSI-2 IP for Camera both of which are seamlessly integrated with the MIPI D-PHY IP or the MIPI C-PHY IP, JEDEC eMMC IP for storage and UNH Certified automotive grade Ethernet IP when high speed automotive connectivity is required.

For more information, please visit: https://www.arasan.com/product/can-bus-controller-ip/

Availability

ASIL-D certified CAN IP products, including the CAN XL IP, CAN FD IP and CAN 2.0 IP, are available to license immediately from Arasan. Please contact sales@arasan.com to license our CAN IP.

Arasan Chip Systems, founded in 1995 is a provider of IP solutions for mobile storage and connectivity interfaces. Arasan’s focus lies in mobile SoCs, which have evolved to encompass a wide range of applications, from PDAs in the mid-’90s to today’s automobiles, drones, and IoT devices. Arasan remains at the forefront of this “Mobile” evolution, providing standards-based IP that forms the foundation of Mobile SoCs. Over a billion chips have been shipped with Arasan’s IP.

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SOURCE Arasan Chip Systems, Inc.