Oct. 28, 2004 – Global sales of products incorporating nanoscale technologies could rise to more than $2.6 trillion in 2014, according to a new industry report. Lux Research Inc.’s  “Sizing Nanotechnology’s Value Chain” predicts that revenues from products incorporating nano-based approaches will total $13 billion, $8.5 billion of which lies in automotive and aerospace applications. Most are high-end uses, and the amount represents about 0.1 percent of the global manufacturing output.

By 2014, that is expected to represent 15 percent of global manufacturing, and the $2.6 trillion in sales will come from such common goods as microprocessors, memory chips, medical devices and drugs. The report also estimates that 10-million manufacturing jobs by that time will involve building products that incorporate some form of nanoscale techniques.

The report concludes that nano’s economic impact will arise from how it’s used, not from sales of the materials themselves. It also recommends that business leaders focus on how nanotech is being exploited across industry value chains, from basic materials to intermediate products to final goods.