HiQ Insights

Heatwaves are becoming one of the clearest examples of how climate change is shifting from an abstract threat to a tangible societal risk. At the same time, a new generation of AI models is emerging that can do more than improve weather forecasting — they can help societies act before the consequences become critical. That marks an important shift. The question is no longer simply whether we can predict rising temperatures. The real question is whether we can understand when heat becomes dangerous, where it will hit hardest, and which actions need to be taken before the consequences become a problem for healthcare systems, municipalities, energy infrastructure and public services.

On May 13, 2026, the Swedish government announced an amended budget with emergency relief measures for the aviation and agricultural sectors amid the escalating energy crisis triggered by the war in Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel prices have doubled, thousands of flights have been cancelled, and fertilizer costs are threatening next year’s harvests — a crisis the IEA describes as worse than the oil crisis of the 1970s. But while governments are pouring billions into subsidies, AI-driven software solutions are emerging as an unexpected lifeline: optimizing fuel consumption and production processes could deliver savings of 20–30 percent.

Sweden’s payment infrastructure is undergoing a major technological transformation. In 2026, banks and financial institutions will transition to ISO 20022 – a new global payments standard designed to enable faster transactions, richer data, and better interoperability between banks, fintech companies, and European payment systems.

Sweden has everything it takes to lead in public sector digitalisation. We have a world-class tech sector, rank among the top in Europe when it comes to unicorns per capita, and benefit from strong capabilities across the entire ecosystem. Yet when digital government is measured, we fall below the OECD average.