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Disruptive technologies

Investing in the next technological wave

Overview

Technology is now a structural growth driver

Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing are moving from vision to reality at unprecedented speed. Automation, big data and the Internet of Things are rewriting business models, accelerating productivity shifts and changing consumer behaviour — while also raising new questions around ethics, regulation and cybersecurity.

Within Candriam’s Thematic 2.0 framework, disruptive technologies are a core megatrend because they combine economic value creation with profound societal and environmental impact.

From innovation to portfolios

In this paper, we map the key sub-trends shaping the next technological wave — from Generative AI and electrification to quantum computing and next-gen automation — and translate them into concrete investment opportunities across sectors and along entire value chains.

Our paper Disruptive technologies: Investing in the next technological wave explores what this means for investors:

  • Which innovation domains are scaling fastest (and where value is likely to accrue).
  • Where long-term capex cycles are forming (from grids and data centres to automation).
  • How convergence across technologies creates an investable ecosystem spanning AI, robotics, connectivity, electrification and cybersecurity.

Read the full research paper

Key messages

AI is becoming the foundational growth engine

Artificial intelligence is accelerating decision-making, automation and innovation across sectors — with investors able to capture value across the stack, from enablers to adopters.

The physical economy is being retooled through automation + electrification

A new era of robots, digital twins and software-defined industry is transforming manufacturing and logistics, while electrification is driving a multi-decade investment cycle across grids, power electronics, EVs and smart buildings.

The real investment case is convergence (with security as a non-negotiable)

Breakthroughs like quantum highlight how computation and security are becoming strategic — but the biggest opportunity set comes from the interaction of AI, robotics, energy systems, cloud and cybersecurity into one investable ecosystem.

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The most durable opportunities won’t come from a single breakthrough, but from convergence — where AI, automation, electrification and cybersecurity reinforce each other and create compounding effects across the real economy.

Our solutions

Candriam offers dedicated equity strategies that give investors targeted exposure to the technologies reshaping the global economy. Candriam Equities L Robotics & Innovative Technology focuses on the next generation of automation, robotics and AI-driven innovation, while Candriam Equities L DigiTech provides access to the digital backbone of disruption — spanning software, connectivity, data infrastructure and the adoption of artificial intelligence across industries.

Together, these strategies offer a complementary way to invest in the technological convergence at the heart of this megatrend.

Candriam Equities L Robotics & Innovative Technology

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Candriam Equities L DigiTech

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