Hamburg, 18.04.2019 – Statista releases the third edition of the Digital Economy Compass. The latest edition is comprised of more than 200 pages and provides insights into the developments and trends of the digital world. The Compass includes three chapters focusing on “Data explosion”, “Artificial Intelligence”, and “Funding & investment”.

Digital technologies are increasingly changing all aspects of our lives. The ever-growing amount of data does not only help us, but it also poses an enormous challenge and entails considerable risks. What does this amount of data have to do with artificial intelligence? What is artificial intelligence and who is already using this type of technology? Another topic which is now becoming more and more important is the growing threat of an overheated digital market. Are we heading towards the next dot-com bubble?

These are the main topics of this year's Digital Economy Compass, which are examined with the help of the latest and most relevant data. The 230 pages of the Compass outline the current state of the digital economy and give assessments on where the industry is heading. Statista is one of the leading statistics portals, and for years, it has been putting a focus on data and insights relating to different areas of the digital economy, e.g., Digital Media, eCommerce, or Online Travel. Users have corresponding data pools at their disposition, complemented by tailor-made tools such as the Digital Market Outlook or the Global Consumer Survey.

Data explosion, AI-induced increase in value, and a funding scene dominated by the United States

The most important findings of the Digital Economy Compass lead to the following conclusion: Mankind is about to be faced with a data explosion. Globally, the amount of data is expected to increase exponentially to more than 2,100 zettabytes by 2035, which equals 2.1 quadrillion terabytes. Currently, it stands at about 33 zettabytes. In the coming years, connectivity and internet access as well as the limited storage capacity of terminal devices will lead to the Cloud's playing a dominant role in data storage.

32 percent of all tech companies already use artificial intelligence; in 2020, 75 percent of all customer interactions will be managed by AI systems. In China alone, GDP growth is expected to amount to US$7bn thanks to AI. 2.3 million new jobs will be created because of AI technologies, which will, among other things, result in the economy's gaining 15.7 billion US$ in value by 2030.

The United States continues to dominate the funding scene: In 2018, American unicorns received more than US$100bn. With almost US$80bn, China is gaining on the U.S. The U.S. also keeps the top position when it comes to the number of unicorns (162). It is followed by China (91), the United Kingdom (16), India (14), and Germany (9).

Eight digital markets: forecasts for eCommerce, Smart Home, and more

Based on exclusive data derived from the Digital Market Outlook, the Global Consumer Survey, ecommerceDB.com, and external sources, the Digital Economy Compass also provides relevant statistics and forecasts on eight markets of the digital economy, including eCommerce, FinTech, and Digital Advertising.

"We are very happy to publish the Digital Economy Compass 2019 today," Sebastian Buss, Head of Statista's Digital Market Analysis, says. "The Compass provides all readers with a perfect introduction to the digital world of the economy. It constitutes a decision-making tool which helps you to set the right course for the future."

You can download the complete Digital Economy Compass here (in English).