High tech

{{Short description|Most advanced technology available}}

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High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology,[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/advanced-technology Advanced technology definition]{{Failed verification|date=February 2024}} is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available.{{cite book|last1=Cortright|first1=Joseph|last2=Mayer|first2=Heike|title=High Tech Specialization: A Comparison of High Technology Centers|date=January 2001|publisher=Brookings Institution, Center on Urban & Metropolitan Policy|url=https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/specialization.pdf}} It can be defined as either the most complex or the newest technology on the market.{{Cite book|last1=Steenhuis|first1=H.|last2=Bruijn|first2=E. J. De|title=2006 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation and Technology|chapter=High technology revisited: Definition and position|date=July 2006|chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4037187|volume=2|pages=1080–1084|doi=10.1109/ICMIT.2006.262389|isbn=1-4244-0147-X|s2cid=32767300|url=https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/5540635/high_technology.pdf|access-date=2023-07-22|archive-date=2023-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028120726/https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/5540635/high_technology.pdf|url-status=dead}} The opposite of high tech is low technology, referring to simple, often traditional or mechanical technology; for example, a slide rule is a low-tech calculating device.{{Cite web|url=https://science.slashdot.org/story/07/09/28/1644233/know-how-to-use-a-slide-rule|title=Know How To Use a Slide Rule? - Slashdot|website=science.slashdot.org|date=28 September 2007 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://hackaday.com/2015/11/05/slide-rules-were-the-original-personal-computers/|title=Slide Rules Were the Original Personal Computers|date=5 November 2015}}Slide Rules & Calculators https://www.tnmoc.org/slide-rules-calculators When high tech becomes old, it becomes low tech, for example vacuum tube electronics. Further, high tech is related to the concept of mid-tech, that is a balance between the two opposite extreme qualities of low-tech and high tech. Mid-tech could be understood as an inclusive middle that combines the efficiency and versatility of digital/automated technology with low-tech's potential for autonomy and resilience.{{Cite journal|last1=Kostakis|first1=Vasilis|last2=Pazaitis|first2=Alex|last3=Liarokapis|first3=Minas|date=2023-06-20|title=Beyond high-tech versus low-tech: A tentative framework for sustainable urban data governance|journal=BigData&Society|volume=10 |issue=1 |language=en|doi=10.1177/20539517231180583 |issn=2053-9517 |doi-access=free}}

Startups working on high technologies (or developing new high technologies) are sometimes referred to as deep tech; the term may also refer to disruptive innovations or those based on scientific discoveries.{{Cite web|date=2018-04-20|title=What is Deep Tech and which startups are marking the road (not Uber)|url=https://www.startupbusiness.it/what-is-deep-tech-and-which-startups-are-marking-the-road-not-uber/96448/|access-date=2020-10-13|website=Startup Business|language=it}}

High tech, as opposed to high-touch, may refer to self-service experiences that do not require human interaction.{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Howard|date=6 June 2019|title=Do Customers Want High Tech or High Touch?|url=https://homebusinessmag.com/sales/customer-service/customers-want-high-tech-high-touch/|access-date=2020-03-22|website=Home Business Magazine}}