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Although computer technology first caught on developed nations, there has been a steady trend of emerging markets quickly catching up to the west.
One example is high-tech research and development. A recent report by the OECD indicates that Asia is on average outpacing the west in R&D spending. If you look inside most consumer electronics, even if they are from an American company, you will find that the majority of the internal components were designed or manufactured in Asia. This looks like it is going to become even more likely in the future, with countries like China increasing spending 23% between 2001 and 2006, with the US and Europe only increasing 1-2% over the same period.
Another instance of the globalization of technology is seen in the internet. Asia's international traffic used to be directed at American websites 90% of the time, in 1999. But in 2008 only 54% of Asia's international traffic came to America. Asia already has twice as many internet users as North America, and the gap is getting wider. There is an increased demand for hardware and software from the major corporations that are easily accessible in an multiple languages.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg - as technology gets cheaper, demand and supply will become much more evenly dispersed. Check out more interesting technology information on globalEDGE. Read the Economist article and the New York Times articles for more information on the globalization of technology.
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