TL;DR
Beyond the year’s AI headlines, four developments from 2025 are poised to alter hardware, power generation, accessibility and cybersecurity. Together they promise shifts in design, regulation, and defensive architectures that could affect supply chains, energy systems and digital inclusion.
What happened
Journalists highlighted four non-AI trends from 2025 that the industry says will have lasting influence. Structural battery composites (SBCs) merge load-bearing materials with energy storage so vehicle frames, devices or building components can also store power, reducing the need for separate battery packs and simplifying supply chains. Nuclear energy is seeing renewed attention through Generation IV designs that use alternative coolants and operate at higher temperatures but lower pressures, and through small modular reactors (SMRs) built from repeatable factory components to change economics and deployment pace. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act came into force in 2025, creating a legal push to make products and services accessible with inaccessible systems slated for ban by 2030. Finally, cybersecurity thinking is moving toward Cyber Security Mesh Architecture paired with zero trust philosophies to create multiple verification paths, closer auditing and reduced opportunities for social-engineering attacks.
Why it matters
- SBCs could cut component count, lower manufacturing energy and reduce dependence on centralized battery packs.
- Generation IV and SMRs aim to improve safety, efficiency and the economics of nuclear power versus traditional projects.
- EU accessibility rules force industry-wide design changes that may open markets and jobs to more people.
- Combining CSMA with zero trust could shrink attack surfaces and limit damage from credential or social-engineering breaches.
Key facts
- Structural battery composites combine structural components and energy storage, potentially replacing separate battery packs.
- Research on SBCs has focused on carbon-fiber and lithium composites but may accommodate other electrochemistries.
- Generation IV reactors use novel coolants such as helium, liquid metals and salts, operating at higher temperatures and lower pressures.
- Small modular reactors (SMRs) apply factory-style production of standard components to change nuclear economics and resilience.
- Fusion continues to attract headlines, but fission developments are being advanced as practical sources of grid power.
- The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in 2025 and bans inaccessible systems across member states from 2030.
- Cyber Security Mesh Architecture recognizes varied security needs across components and enables interoperable policy and monitoring.
- Zero trust is the principle that no device or user on a network is implicitly trusted and must be continuously verified.
- Author warns that current social-engineering vulnerabilities — for example, simple phone calls to change credentials — remain a systemic risk.
What to watch next
- The EU enforcement timeline for the EAA and how quickly vendors update products ahead of the 2030 ban.
- not confirmed in the source: specific commercial deployment dates or mass-market adoption timelines for structural battery composites.
- not confirmed in the source: concrete schedules or projects that will bring Generation IV reactors and SMRs online at scale.
Quick glossary
- Structural battery composite (SBC): A material that serves both as a load-bearing structural component and as an energy storage medium, reducing the need for separate batteries.
- Generation IV reactor: A class of nuclear fission designs using advanced coolants and higher operating temperatures aimed at improving safety and efficiency.
- Small modular reactor (SMR): A compact nuclear fission reactor designed for modular factory production to lower costs and accelerate deployment.
- Cyber Security Mesh Architecture (CSMA): An approach that treats different elements of an environment as separable security domains that share policies, telemetry and controls.
- Zero trust: A security philosophy where no user or device is automatically trusted; all access requires verification and continuous validation.
Reader FAQ
Do structural battery composites eliminate the need for traditional batteries entirely?
Not confirmed in the source: the piece reports SBCs can replace large battery packs in some designs but does not claim they will eliminate all traditional batteries.
Will inaccessible digital systems be banned in the EU, and when?
Yes. The European Accessibility Act is in force from 2025 and inaccessible systems are banned in member states starting in 2030.
Is fusion expected to replace fission soon?
No. The source says fusion gets the headlines but still faces huge challenges; fission developments are the nearer-term focus.
Will CSMA and zero trust stop all cyberattacks?
Not confirmed in the source: the article argues these approaches can reduce risk and damage but does not claim they will eliminate every attack.
SYSTEMS Four tech trends from 2025 that will shape the future – because they have to Imagine there's no AI. It's easy if you try Rupert Goodwins Mon 29 Dec 2025 // 17:10 UTC…
Sources
- Four tech trends from 2025 that will shape the future – because they have to
- McKinsey technology trends outlook 2025
- 5 Emerging Energy Technology Trends Shaping 2025
- Tech Trends 2026 | Deloitte Insights
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