Latest news with #IDCA
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
The U.S. touts its digital dominance—but it lags behind many other countries
The United States has a well-developed digital economy, encompassing about 18% of its total economy, according to several sources and research from the International Data Center Authority (IDCA). This is above the world average of 15%. But the U.S. can always do better. The IDCA defines a digital economy as representing all economic activities that are reliant on or significantly enhanced by the use of digital technologies, including digital infrastructure, AI, and digital services. Having worked with hundreds of public data sources and its own surveys to create its Digital Readiness of Nations Index, the IDCA's Global Digital Economy Report (2025) is a unique deep dive into the current development of the world's digital economies. Digging Into Digital Economy Data This Index places the digital economies of the nations of the world into four categories: Phase III (Advanced), Phase II (Significantly Developed), Phase I (Early-Stage), and a Pre-Phase. It examines all the data sets across four broad categories—economy, environment, social, and governance—to rank the nations on a scale of 0 to 100. The Index considers relative progress, that is, how well each nation has developed its digital economy with respect to its economic resources and social development. Doing this shows only six nations that are currently in an advanced, Phase III stage of development. Surprisingly enough, despite its economic size and potential, the United States is not one of them. In fact, none of the world's G7 or even G20 nations have reached this advanced status, either. Today, Phase III has been accomplished only by the small nations of Scandinavia, Finland, and Switzerland. An aggressive commitment to the use of sustainable energy, relative income parity, and strong government institutions are all characteristics of this group. The U.S. Is Not the Exemplar So far the largest nations of the world, including the United States, have not been able to match these smaller countries. The U.S. and its G7 cohort are instead ensconced among a group of a few dozen nations within the Phase II group, all of which show significantly developed digital economies. Digging into the data finds that within this group, the U.S. lags Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. in its commitment to sustainable energy, income parity, and strong government institutions. Expanding the focus to the G20 group of nations finds more diffuse progress. Because membership in the G20 club is simply based on the size of a nation's overall economy, not its relative development or wealth, there are several still-developing nations in the G20, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa. There are also the troubled economies of Argentina and Russia in this group. All the nations cited here are in Phase I, still at an early stage of their digital economies. It must be noted, though, that Brazil, China, and to some degree India, continue to make considerable progress toward fully developed economies and a higher stage of digital economy development. So despite leading the world in the size of its overall economy and digital economy, having reached its status on the back of compounded historic economic dominance, the U.S. is not truly an exemplar for the world. What can the nation do to improve its standing? Create a national strategy and policies American business and government leaders pride themselves on how the U.S. has long been the world's capital of innovation and IT development without the 'help' of national strategies or focused policies. But ad hoc development on the scale envisioned for the AI age will end up being more chaotic—and less effective—than necessary. The U.S. does not need to reach EU levels of regulation and enforcement, but its federal government can do more to meet today's 'Sputnik challenge,' or watch China and the EU run away with leadership of AI and digital economies. Build more sustainable energy Renewable energy delivers 20.3% of the electricity consumed within the United States, below the world average of 30%. Nuclear energy adds another 18.2% to the U.S. grid, which technically brings it close to the world average for sustainable energy. But this is not good enough. The U.S. remains the world's second-largest producer of greenhouse gases and lacks a true commitment to sustainable energy progress. Focus on workforce development Even though the U.S. has the world's largest IT-skilled workforce, it needs to upskill and retrain millions of people to prepare for the skills demanded by the continued growth of AI development and AI-driven data centers. The IDCA's own report recently found a workforce deficit of over 100 million IT workers globally. There are already several hundred billion dollars' worth of large, advanced AI data centers being planned in the U.S., but without a workforce adequate to the challenge, these new facilities will be underused and mismanaged. Tapping into a holistic and dynamic set of professional training programs is key here. Ensure smart buildouts More than 40% of the world's data centers are located in the U.S., and projections show that this dominance will continue. But it will be a grave mistake to build data centers along the same old, general purpose, inefficient lines. The new data centers, whether a small 10-megawatt building or sprawling gigawatt-sized campus, must all be built to suit, with the most efficient energy management and computational efficiency available. Developers must not only be smart about building them but also focus on 'smart' environments that support more robotic manufacturing, autonomous transportation, sensor-driven energy management, and AI-driven services to businesses and consumers. A high bar In summary, it would be unfair to say that the U.S. significantly lags the G7, or any other group of nations, in the development of its digital economy. The situation is not dire, and the U.S. has not already given away the game. In fact, we see an influx of announcements for data centers and AI investments committing to the U.S. economy. However, due to its sheer size and potential, what might be great for some countries is considered poorly accomplished by our benchmark. The world's largest economic power needs to judge itself solely by the standards of what it can accomplish, comparisons be damned. U.S. government and business leaders must work much harder to deliver on the nation's potential.
Hans India
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
India seal historic series win against Trinidad & Tobago in landmark Deaf Cricket tour
New Delhi: In a landmark moment for inclusive sports, the Indian Deaf Cricket Team, led by the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA), has triumphed in the historic 5-match International Deaf Cricket Series 2025 against Trinidad & Tobago. Hosted from May 23 to 29 across iconic venues in Trinidad & Tobago, the series marked a pioneering milestone as the Caribbean nation hosted India's deaf cricket team for the first time. Team India clinched the series 3-2, showcasing resilience, tactical brilliance, and team spirit. Notably, India registered a thumping 132-run win in the 2nd ODI match held at the National Cricket Centre. All-rounder Pradeep received the 'Player of the Match' award for his explosive 84-run knock and match-winning 4-wicket haul. The team's T20 performance remained consistent, with India winning all 3 T20 matches against Trinidad & Tobago (India 3 – Trinidad & Tobago 0), while also winning 1 ODI (India 1 – Trinidad & Tobago 0). This tour, held under the theme "Historic Boundaries, New Beginnings", marks a significant step forward in IDCA's mission to take deaf cricket global and build strong international partnerships. IDCA President Mr. Sumit Jain expressed heartfelt gratitude, stating, 'This series has been a historic and emotional milestone for us. We thank the Trinidad & Tobago Deaf Cricket Association for their warm hospitality. Our players not only displayed excellence but also became ambassadors of inclusion and sporting spirit.' IDCA CEO Ms. Roma Balwani added, 'This isn't just a victory on the field; it is a victory for inclusion, equality, and the global deaf community. We are proud to lead the charge in shaping a more inclusive sporting future.' The Indian team was led by Captain Virender Singh and coached by Santosh Kumar this successful tour, IDCA has once again demonstrated how deaf athletes can shine at the highest level. India Deaf Cricket Team, Historic Series Win, Trinidad & Tobago, Inclusive Sports, Deaf Cricket Association, International Deaf Cricket Series
Entrepreneur
27-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Turning Rules into Revenue
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. The world's digital economy – defined by the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) as representing all economic activities that are reliant on or significantly enhanced by the use of digital technologies – encompassed about 15%of global GDP in 2024. The regulatory environments accompanying the growth of digital economies are often seen as the enemy of business. However, if these legal environments are fit, with the merits of digital transformation, they can potentially offer opportunities by establishing pathways and guardrails. This particularly applies to entrepreneurs and start ups who can move with more agility than larger enterprises. Regulations must evolve with close proximity to the speed of the digital transformation they aim to regulate. When they do so, regulated environments can often promote equal opportunities for companies of all sizes, and thus act as a growth lever for startups as well as their larger competitors. Digital transformation expands the need for further regulations. For example, in financial services, there are rigorous needs for regulatory compliance, in an automated world of real-time processing that measures transaction times in microseconds. Cybersecurity is a top-level concern as well. There are big opportunities in increasingly automating compliance, focusing on cybersecurity in both general and specific ways, AI-powered fraud detection, and generating innumerable research reports. The energy sector is yet another highly regulated industry that faces pressure to improve continually, to be more sustainable, and to provide more power for an AI-driven age. Grid management, predictive maintenance, energy consumption optimization, and the absolute necessity of rigorous cybersecurity all present the increasing trend and need for regulations. All of these expanding technology needs require the innovation that entrepreneurial companies are uniquely equipped to develop. Today, high-end manufacturing continues to contribute almost 200 billion pounds to the UK economy each year and is undergoing its own AI-driven transformation in a regulated environment. Public-sector services also provide opportunities on all fronts. Healthcare in the UK faces demands for AI-enhanced diagnostic tools, personalized treatment plans, and continuous patient monitoring, all of which will be met by innovative companies that can work within the strict environment of national service. In other segments of the public sector, the need to maintain citizen data privacy, the ethical use of AI, the use of AI in national security, and disaster management present areas of improvement for the government and opportunities for companies that can deliver what's needed. If established strategically and with care, and integrated with the realities of the technology world, regulations present opportunities for clever developers and entrepreneurs. Aside from restraining and constraining characteristics of laws, smart regulation can offer opportunities that foster growth for startups due to the intrinsic stability they bring to the business environment: Protection. With a strong regulatory framework in place, whether legislated or adopted by industry, entrepreneurs are less prone to be bullied out of new markets by larger, existing companies. Trademark and copyright infringements, monopolistic contracts and pricing, and preferential treatment in vendor qualification are all practices that can be heavily discouraged by well-established legal environments and compliance practices. With a strong regulatory framework in place, whether legislated or adopted by industry, entrepreneurs are less prone to be bullied out of new markets by larger, existing companies. Trademark and copyright infringements, monopolistic contracts and pricing, and preferential treatment in vendor qualification are all practices that can be heavily discouraged by well-established legal environments and compliance practices. Defensibility. Strong regulatory environments enable companies of all sizes to create defensible positioning with their products and services. A market that's going to evolve naturally through standards rather than unexpectedly in an unregulated environment builds confidence among the customers of entrepreneurs and startups. Strong regulatory environments enable companies of all sizes to create defensible positioning with their products and services. A market that's going to evolve naturally through standards rather than unexpectedly in an unregulated environment builds confidence among the customers of entrepreneurs and startups. Customer Appeal. In a progressive legal environment, smaller companies can also appeal directly to customers by establishing credibility through following key industry standards and regulations. Compliance with an industry standard gives newer and smaller companies instant bona fides that they would have trouble establishing in unregulated environments. In a progressive legal environment, smaller companies can also appeal directly to customers by establishing credibility through following key industry standards and regulations. Compliance with an industry standard gives newer and smaller companies instant bona fides that they would have trouble establishing in unregulated environments. Investor Appeal. Securing adequate funding is one of the most difficult challenges facing entrepreneurs. Being able to inform investors that their company complies with industry standards and adheres to regulations – and that this is also appealing to customers – increases the prospects of gaining confidence from potential investors. Securing adequate funding is one of the most difficult challenges facing entrepreneurs. Being able to inform investors that their company complies with industry standards and adheres to regulations – and that this is also appealing to customers – increases the prospects of gaining confidence from potential investors. Predictability. As with establishing defensibility, entrepreneurs are better able to make credible roadmaps and execute over the long term if they are confident that their market sectors are stable and predictable and are not going to make unexpected drifts. As with establishing defensibility, entrepreneurs are better able to make credible roadmaps and execute over the long term if they are confident that their market sectors are stable and predictable and are not going to make unexpected drifts. Fair Information . The existence of a fair set of regulations also prevents larger entities from illegitimately obtaining game-changing market and policy information that can be destructive to the growth and prosperity of the startups and the entrepreneurial spirit. . The existence of a fair set of regulations also prevents larger entities from illegitimately obtaining game-changing market and policy information that can be destructive to the growth and prosperity of the startups and the entrepreneurial spirit. Ethics. The ethical considerations of technology development and use are coming more clearly into focus within this current AI age. For example, concerns about what massive AI services may be able to do and who will control this newly unleashed power are being addressed by governments, regulatory organizations, and the business world. Digital transformation expands the existential benefits of regulation to a whole new horizon. Much of this is due to the complexities involved in the digital world, where the absence of economic security and reliability could be severely felt by startups if regulations did not exist. Furthermore, meeting legal compliance requires lawyers, experts, and specialists. This opens paths for further traditional roles and professional services startups while protecting and promoting digital startups. While unfit and close-minded legal frameworks are a recipe for failure, strategically mapped and up-to-date legal frameworks create opportunities for companies that understand digital transformation and are swift in addressing needs. In this way, open and dynamic regulatory environments within expanding global digital transformation can provide the pathway to success, rather than obstacles, for these agile organizations.
