Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
Abstract
This report summarizes the SEI's Emerging Technologies Study (ETS), the findings of which are important to the SEI, its DoD sponsors, and the software engineering community. Additionally, this report discusses the Emerging Technology Knowledge Base (ETKB), an internal SEI tool employing a Wikipedia-like structure to codify the data and information gathered during this study. The ETKB enables the identification of relationships among and links between the emerging technology investigated to the overarching goals and objectives of the SEI, its customers, and its sponsors.
This report covers the following seven emerging technologies, which we have chosen from a purely software engineering perspective (that is, practices and technology):
- Advanced Computing
- Advanced Materials
- AI/ML
- Biotechnology
- Cybersecurity
- Digital Transformation
- Distributed Computing
Cite This SEI Report
Abad-Santos, M., Hissam, S., & Zhang, S. (2023, August 24). Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD . Retrieved September 11, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/.
@techreport{abad-santos_2023,
author={Abad-Santos, Michael and Hissam, Scott and Zhang, Shen},
title={Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD },
month={Aug},
year={2023},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-11}
}
Abad-Santos, Michael, Scott Hissam, and Shen Zhang. "Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD ." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, August 24, 2023. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/.
M. Abad-Santos, S. Hissam, and S. Zhang, "Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD ," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 24-Aug-2023 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/. [Accessed: 11-Sep-2026].
Abad-Santos, Michael, Scott Hissam, and Shen Zhang. "Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD ." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 24 Aug. 2023. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.
Abad-Santos, Michael; Hissam, Scott; & Zhang, Shen. Emerging Technologies: Seven Themes Changing the Future of Software in the DoD . Software Engineering Institute. 2023. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/emerging-technologies-seven-themes-changing-the-future-of-software-in-the-dod/