Qualcomm Technologies released what it calls the world's first 5G-supported extended reality (XR) platform, the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 platform. The successor of the XR1 platform, it unites its 5G and AI innovations with its XR technology to usher in a new era of mobile computing across augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR). Qualcomm is also working with Niantic, the creator of the games Ingress and Pokemon Go, on a smart glasses reference design.
The platform is packed with significant performance improvements compared to the US chipmaker's existing widely adopted premium-tier XR platform, Qualcomm said, in order to deliver twice the CPU and GPU performance, 4x more video bandwidth, 6x higher resolution and 11x AI improvement.
The platform is the world’s first XR platform to support seven concurrent cameras and a dedicated computer vision processor, the company said. In addition, this is the first XR platform to enable low latency camera pass-through to unlock true MR, which allow users to see, interact and create a hybrid of the virtual and real world while wearing a VR device. To meet the demands of truly immersive XR, the platform has customised visuals, interactivity and audio technologies, all of which use the foundational technology of AI and option of 5G connectivity.Multiple OEMs are committed to commercialising devices with the Snapdragon XR2 Platform and other customers are in various stages of prototyping and evaluation, according to Qualcomm.
Collaboration with Niantic
Niantic announced a multi-year joint collaboration with the US chipmaker on an integrated design spanning AR glasses reference hardware, software and cloud components. The platform plans to be optimised first for the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform and Niantic Real World Platform.
Access to this new collaborative architecture between the two companies is expected to be provided to creators via the 'Niantic Creator Program' when available.
