With technology advancing in leaps and bounds the only option we have is to keep pace with these continuous advancements. The year 2018 will witness some great technological breakthroughs in software development with the emergence of the blockchain, cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence, mobile computing and augmented and virtual reality. Below we have provided 4 development trends that will prove to be a turning point in shaping the world for the future.

Blockchain
The Blockchain is a technology that rose to great heights in 2017 due to the rise of Bitcoin. But if you think beyond digital currency, blockchain is assured to revolutionize every organization or industry in 2018. It is a trustworthy leader of digital economic transactions that can not only record financial transactions but almost everything of value.

The blockchain technology will change the financial scene by allowing millions of people around the world to conduct large-scale, cashless transactions instantly without the need for any intermediaries. This technology will proceed to work successfully in other fields like healthcare, supply chain or administration to streamline all processes. Large business giants like IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Oracle have adopted the blockchain platform which will in future lead to a great demand for blockchain developers.

Artificial Intelligence
AI is all ready to offer attractive insights to business owners from cognitive interfaces to analytics to complex machine learning techniques. Businesses in the present times are integrating AI solutions to compete and stay ahead and offer a better customer experience. Companies in 2018 will increasingly use smartphones to voice-activated assistants to Big Data to Insight service thus providing services to perform more tasks.
Moreover, AI will show more intelligence when it comes to decision-making abilities. The development of AI is being led by leaders like Facebook, Google, and Slack. It is estimated that Artificial Intelligence has the capability to bring about changes in the world both in a positive and a negative way. In fact, AI will certainly make this world a better place by helping to save time and provide comfort to our lives.

Internet of Things
Edge computing in IoT will play a vital role in 2018. Wearables like Apple Watch, Android Wear, and Fitbit were just the tip of the iceberg followed by driverless cars, home appliances, communication devices and all business processes. All these will be connected resulting in the collection of large amounts of data, thus the need for these devices to explore the possibility of quicker and cheaper methods of processing all the collected data. IoT will focus on controlling devices seamlessly and develop applications whether it is related to manufacturing, retail, healthcare or fitness. The software developers will figure out the best way to program devices to allow users to control them.

Progressive Web Apps
Progressive Web Apps or PWAs are nothing but web applications on websites or web pages that appear like native mobile applications that combine features of modern browsers giving users a great mobile experience. 2018 will see a greater growth when it comes to web-based solutions contributing to a significant market share as compared to mobile apps. Progressive web apps are comparatively easier to develop offering features of the combined web and mobile apps to provide easier accessibility for users.
To conclude, besides these 4 software development trends there are several others that need to be looked into in 2018 as the speed that which tech moves is unbelievable.