Top 9 Most High-Tech Cities in the World

What are the most high-tech cities in the world in 2017?

Thankfully for all of us, 2thinknow was consulted recently by Fortune to rank cities around the world for just this question.

We won't mess around and just get stuck in.

As we tend to despise suspense for "dramatic effect" generally, we'll list them in order from top to bottom. 

1. San Francisco, USA

Well probably no surprises here, right? Since the southern portion of San Franciso Bay Area claims the mantle of "Silicon Valley", it had better be. And it doesn't disappoint, San Francisco is one of the most high-tech cities in the world, in fact, it is one of the best cities for tech jobs in the world.

San Fransisco has acted like a literal technology magnet for several decades now, and that is not set to slow down anytime soon.

"San Fran" is undeniably the epicenter of all things tech in America, if not the world. It is literally "dripping" in "entrepreneurial spirit" and has a very strong startup and venture capital scene. Its population mainly consists of designers and programmers.

2. New York City, USA

New York comes in a close second in the rankings for most high-tech cities in the world. This illustrious city is somewhat of a strange mash-up of very old with cutting edge. It has a very "out-dated" infrastructure whilst pushing the limits of our current technology.

There are around 7,000 high-tech companies in New York that provide around 100,000 jobs according to stats from 2013. New York has also launched a city-wide free WiFi service from around 500 kiosks in Manhattan for public use.

3. London, UK

London is one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world.

According to the 2thinknow study, London has more startups and programmes than almost any other high-tech city in the world. Some estimates indicate there could be more than the whole of California. 11,000 additional positions are thought to be added over the next decade or so.

4. Los Angeles, USA

The film industry isn't the only thing "going" for LA. A 2014 report by the LA County Economic Development Corporation suggested that LA might have more high-tech sector jobs than and anywhere else in the US. LA is also one of the top tech hubs in the US.

The wealth output of LA also hovers around $58 billion, apparently. The 2thinknow analysis supports this somewhat indicating a high concentration of startups and venture capitalists in the area.

5. Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei, according to the 2thinknow's report is the far east's leader when it comes to industrial design. This has actually been the case for many years. Taipei, unlike others on our list, tends to specialize in hardware rather than software.

Taipei is one of the greatest technology capitals of the world.

Tech giants like Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, and Acer make Taipei their home. The city also scores highly for its number of venture capitalists.

6. Seoul, South Korea

Seoul has been called for several times the city of the future, and for good reason. According to 2thinknow, Seoul patent filings rival any other city in the world. It has developed technology that we are all very familiar with in our everyday lives like LTE beamed to our smartphones. 

It is also the petri dish for technology that is, yet, in its infancy. Watch this space.

7. Boston, USA

Boston has been rather prolific when it comes to STEM, especially with illustrious institutions such as MIT and Harvard. Many of these innovations have been centered around biotech and robotics. It is then, by virtue, one of the best cities for tech startups.

Boston has a healthy amount of venture capitalist firms that provide plenty of investment opportunities for startups. Big companies the likes of Facebook and Amazon have set up R and D offices in Boston of late.

8. Singapore

Singapore, sometimes referred to as "Lion's City" or "Garden City", boasts a blooming, or roaring, number of programmers and venture capitalists. This city-state is continually looking to introduce new infrastructure and cutting-edge technology. It is set to become one of the most high-tech cities in the future

Singapore has partnered with MIT to build smart transportation that will rely less on private cars and more on public transport.

9. Toronto, Canada

Apart from having an awesome Napoleonic Age fort, Toronto is "rich" with startups and innovation. This pressure for progress comes from institutions like the Cisco Innovation Center which is home to 30% of Canada's IT firms. 

Most of these have less than 50 employees. This fertile ground should see some interesting movements in tech in the future. Perhaps outpacing other high-tech cities in America.

Toronto's firms account for about $52 billion in annual revenue, not too shabby.

So there you go, the most high-tech cities in 2017 according to 2thinknow. Would you consider moving to any of these cities? Perhaps you don't agree? By, all means leave your comments below.