High-tech companies in the context of digital transformation: essence and characteristics

Abstract

The article examines the contemporary characteristics of high-tech companies operating amid digital transformation. The rapid development of digital technologies, platform-based business models, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and other digital economy tools is significantly transforming the operating principles of high-tech businesses. The study summarizes the scientific approaches of Ukrainian and international researchers to defining the essence of high-tech companies, making it possible to identify their key characteristics, including intensive research and development (R&D), a high level of intellectual capital, a significant share of highly qualified STEM specialists, the ability to commercialize research outcomes, and the production of knowledge-intensive products with high added value. A structural and functional model of high-tech company operation based on the “black box” concept is proposed. The model consists of four interconnected elements: Input, Mechanism, Management, and Output. It is demonstrated that digital transformation fundamentally changes each of these elements by facilitating the transition from traditional production models to innovative digital ecosystems built upon knowledge, intellectual capital, data, and platform-based solutions. Particular attention is devoted to a comparative analysis of the traditional characteristics of high-tech enterprises and the new features emerging from digitalization. The study reveals that the competitive advantages of modern high-tech companies are determined not only by investments in research and development but also by their ability to rapidly adapt to environmental changes, implement digital technologies effectively, integrate into global digital ecosystems, develop platform-based business models, and use data analytics in managerial decision-making. The paper demonstrates that digitalization does not replace the classical foundations of innovation-driven development but rather creates a new stage in the evolution of high-tech companies by integrating the traditional innovation model, based on intellectual capital and R&D, with a digital model focused on data, digital platforms, organizational agility, and Industry 4.0 technologies. It is concluded that the combination of innovation capabilities and digital competencies has become the primary source of sustainable competitive advantage, ensuring resilience, scalability, and effective commercialization of innovations in the global digital economy. Keywords: high-tech companies; digital transformation; digitalization; intellectual capital; innovation activity; digital platforms; business model; Industry 4.0; big data; artificial intelligence; competitiveness; digital ecosystems.