Value in motion

AI, climate change and geopolitical shifts are reconfiguring the global economy. We’ve mapped where value is moving over the next decade, so you can build a future-ready business to capture it.

1. Industry reconfiguration

Your growth plan just got interesting

AI, climate change and shifting geopolitics are changing the way we live and work.

Creating new customer needs and preferences. Forging new markets. Enabling new business models. Attracting new competitors. And blurring the boundaries of sectors and industries.

It’s time to look for growth in new places.

It’s time to explore new domains of growth—markets where companies work across sector boundaries to meet fundamental human needs. Like how we feed and care for ourselves, move, make and build things, and how we fuel and power it all.

Scroll on to understand how these domains will form and grow. And discover how to seize your share of the value in motion.

To see which domains hold opportunity for you, select your industry/sector and region, or click on the graphic below.

Your industry today
Region or territory

Tap an industry and swipe left on the chart below to see how it will transform into a domain.

Industries/Sectors 2023
Total value

$105.28tn

Domains 2035
Total value

$132.54tn

Agriculture, forestry and fishingMining and quarryingManufacturingEnergy utilitiesWater and wasteConstructionWholesale and retailTransportation and storageHospitalityInformation and communicationFinancial servicesReal estateProfessional, technical servicesPublic administration and defenceEducationHuman health and social workArts, entertainment and recreationMakeBuildFeedCareMoveFuel and PowerGovern and ServeFund and InsureConnect and ComputeOther

Source: PwC research and analysis

Understanding where value is moving is just the first step. Getting a handle on why—and how to capture it—is your next move. Eager to see where your company might go? Read on for more on the opportunities within each domain of growth.

Want to know more about industry reconfiguration and its impact in the decade ahead? Take a deep dive with ‘The leader’s guide to value in motion.’

2. Domains of growth

Explore your new domains

Select from the nine domains below to learn how they are forming, the size of the opportunity and how to seize the value in motion.

How we make

How we make

To meet the world’s need for materials and industrial goods, manufacturing must reinvent itself through innovation, digitisation and automation.

An epochal transformation of manufacturing is underway.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, manufacturers are a beacon of innovation—embracing the use of new technologies such as automation, 3D printing and AI to boost their productivity, efficiency and agility. Companies are already using these advances to reinvent themselves. As a result of these efforts, up to US$1.8 trillion of manufacturing revenues could be redistributed in 2025.

Other powerful catalysts include the need to insulate supply chains from climate shocks, the push to improve sustainability and circularity, the growing demand for workers with specialised skills, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on trade routes. Together, they’re combining to forge a major sectoral reconfiguration in manufacturing.

An expansive ecosystem is forming as companies reimagine what—and how—we make.

The Make domain will be a more diverse, tech-enabled zone in which firms integrate their capabilities and knowledge to create offerings that better meet customers’ increasingly complex needs. The new cast of players: classic manufacturers, along with IOT providers, AI firms, cybersecurity specialists and robotics companies.

Cross-sector collaboration has already helped companies develop elegant, multifaceted solutions. Aerospace companies boost aircraft and engine uptime by combining remote monitoring, predictive analytics, coordinated inventory management and automated maintenance scheduling. In other instances, customers pay for a function like energy generation, heating or filtration, while the company owns and manages the equipment, enhancing efficiency with the IOT and advanced analytics.

The burgeoning Make domain offers significant economic gains to decisive players.

Companies will find growth opportunities by looking across traditional sectors and recognising distinct areas of customer need, such as raw materials, manufacturing data, climate solutions and materials science. By 2035, the Make domain could contribute $34.17 trillion to global GDP, representing about a quarter of total output.

The extent of that growth will depend on how megatrends play out.

To obtain a quantitative picture of what the Make domain might look like in 2035, we modelled the potential global economic impact of two of the most pressing megatrends: technological disruption (specifically disruption from AI) and climate change. The result is three divergent scenarios, corresponding to a range of outcomes, from a low of $33.91 trillion to a high of $36.84 trillion.

An epochal transformation of manufacturing is underway.

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, manufacturers are a beacon of innovation—embracing the use of new technologies such as automation, 3D printing and AI to boost their productivity, efficiency and agility. Companies are already using these advances to reinvent themselves. As a result of these efforts, up to US$1.8 trillion of manufacturing revenues could be redistributed in 2025.

Other powerful catalysts include the need to insulate supply chains from climate shocks, the push to improve sustainability and circularity, the growing demand for workers with specialised skills, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on trade routes. Together, they’re combining to forge a major sectoral reconfiguration in manufacturing.

An expansive ecosystem is forming as companies reimagine what—and how—we make.

The Make domain will be a more diverse, tech-enabled zone in which firms integrate their capabilities and knowledge to create offerings that better meet customers’ increasingly complex needs. The new cast of players: classic manufacturers, along with IOT providers, AI firms, cybersecurity specialists and robotics companies.

Cross-sector collaboration has already helped companies develop elegant, multifaceted solutions. Aerospace companies boost aircraft and engine uptime by combining remote monitoring, predictive analytics, coordinated inventory management and automated maintenance scheduling. In other instances, customers pay for a function like energy generation, heating or filtration, while the company owns and manages the equipment, enhancing efficiency with the IOT and advanced analytics.

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The burgeoning Make domain offers significant economic gains to decisive players.

Companies will find growth opportunities by looking across traditional sectors and recognising distinct areas of customer need, such as raw materials, manufacturing data, climate solutions and materials science. By 2035, the Make domain could contribute $34.17 trillion to global GDP, representing about a quarter of total output.

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The extent of that growth will depend on how megatrends play out.

To obtain a quantitative picture of what the Make domain might look like in 2035, we modelled the potential global economic impact of two of the most pressing megatrends: technological disruption (specifically disruption from AI) and climate change. The result is three divergent scenarios, corresponding to a range of outcomes, from a low of $33.91 trillion to a high of $36.84 trillion.

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opportunities
3. The opportunity

Capturing the value in the decade ahead

Businesses that grasp the full potential of the Make domain will have the edge in 2035.

Sizing the Make opportunity

The nature and scale of the new business opportunities that emerge in the Make domain will depend on how AI adoption and climate action progress. Your strategy should account for a range of possible outcomes.

Three scenarios can help leaders in the Make domain consider what the future might bring.

In Trust-Based Transformation, a coordinated, conscientious approach to tech deployment and climate response fosters productivity growth, job creation and environmental health.

In Tense Transition, regionalisation and nationalism give rise to technology systems and sustainability efforts that deliver benefits without the economies of global scale.

In Turbulent Times, atomised interests, divisive uses of technology, and suspended sustainability initiatives hamper economic growth.

Learn more about the three divergent tomorrows.

Global baseline 2035

$34.17tn

Source: PwC research and analysis

Select a bar below to see projected values and how each scenario might influence the Make domain.

Trust-Based Transformation

$36.84tn

Tense Transition

$35.36tn

Turbulent Times

$33.91tn

Source: PwC research and analysis

Trust-Based Transformation

Global alignment
Responsible tech
Sustainable solutions

Demand for goods and equipment that cause minimal harm to the environment—along with strict environmental regulations—encourages businesses to embrace sustainable sourcing and production practices. Waste reduction and resource circularity become governing concepts for successful manufacturing firms. Technology firms develop AI and data-security tools to promote transparency and efficiency along value chains.

Select a bar below to see projected values and how each scenario might influence the Make domain.

Seizing the Make opportunity

In a future of divergent possibilities, imagining new ways to create value can help reframe how we think about viable business models, products and services.

Regardless of the scenario, leaders can act now to ensure they succeed in the decade ahead.

Imagining your 2035 business model

Fast-forward a decade. What sorts of innovative offerings might generate outsize value for companies in the Make domain? To help leaders expand their thinking, we’ve imagined hypothetical businesses in the context of the three scenarios.

Full-scope energy innovation partner
Trust-Based Transformation

International renewable energy standards, cross-border energy and carbon trading, and widespread trust in sharing data create an opening for a provider of turnkey clean energy services to global manufacturers. Instead of charging for energy by the unit, the company collects payment for delivering precisely enough power to keep customers’ facilities running in a cost-effective way—giving all parties an incentive to maximise efficiency. The approach begins with analysing each manufacturer’s energy needs and cutting demand through equipment tweaks or upgrades. Next, the service provider builds onsite facilities for renewable electricity generation and storage, and configures the system to source or provide carbon-free grid power as market prices fluctuate. Additional revenues come from carbon credits earned as the system runs.

Who’s got the edge?

  • Renewable equipment makers that can extend down the value chain by installing custom solar arrays, batteries and energy management systems for individual properties
  • Providers of smart-city infrastructure that can use their network data to aggregate energy supply and demand, and optimise generation and storage across urban districts
  • Telecom companies with distributed infrastructure assets that can connect power providers with users and collect and analyse data

Future growth area

Developing solutions to electrify and decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like concrete and steel

Six more future-ready business ideas

These quick-hit concepts—some of them suited for just one future scenario, others for more—offer additional inspiration for business model innovation.

Trust-Based Transformation
Tense Transition
Turbulent Times

Closed-loop materials formulated for maximum recoverability and reuse

Cybersecurity for IOT devices and software

Seamless aggregation and sharing of manufacturing data

Least-cost, lightweight materials derived from waste

Manager of regional manufacturing networks that streamline distribution and withstand disruption

AI-driven, robot-equipped warehousing systems

To reinvent for multiple tomorrows, take action today

The process of reinvention needs to start now, with a focus on priorities that respond to the reconfiguration that’s already underway. This means driving hard towards a set of innovation imperatives, securing competitive advantages in areas such as technology and trust, and turning obstacles such as climate threats into enablers of growth.

How to win in the Make domain

Today’s manufacturing sector is making impressive advances in automation and digitisation. Many players in the Make domain are already well-equipped to initiate the critical changes to their operating and business models that will help their organisation withstand—and leverage—sudden market shifts, unstable supply chains and resource scarcity. Here are a few key areas of innovation to target.

Artificial intelligence

The applications of this fast-evolving set of technologies have huge transformative potential for the Make domain. AI-enabled flexible manufacturing systems, supported by advanced robotics and automation, can drive mass personalisation and customisation. AI can also be used to optimise workflows for maximum efficiency and to manage plant maintenance.

Supply chain

Investing in real-time supply chain tracking and enhanced traceability, and in smart adaptive logistics, can yield substantial cost savings and efficiency gains, freeing resources for reinvention moves. Micromobility solutions can help streamline last-mile delivery.

Energy use

Electric trucks, green roofs, solar panels, optimised building insulation, natural lighting—these are relatively straightforward investments that can also deliver significant savings.

Advanced digitisation and next-gen production

Digital-twin technology and predictive analytics can radically accelerate R&D efforts—a potential advantage when piloting a new business concept. And on-demand 3D printing of complex parts can reduce third-party dependency and insulate against supply chain disruptions.

Discover more

Insight

The leader’s guide to value in motion

Get ready for AI, climate change and other megatrends to shift value pools, reconfigure industries and redefine the top management agenda.

Learn more
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Insight

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Issue

Business model reinvention issues and insights

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Industries

How we Make

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Insight

Envisioning three tomorrows

The business landscape is changing rapidly. Imagining your company under three profoundly different scenarios will help you locate opportunity.

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