The future is a fusion of reality and the virtual world. This concept, known as the Metaverse, is at the forefront of technological discussion and was the focal point of this year’s IEEE International Conference on Metaverse Computing, Networking, and Applications (IEEE MetaCom 2023). The conference brought together thought leaders, scholars, and industry experts from around the globe, each with their unique insights and perspectives.
Among these luminaries, Dr. Max Li, who served as a Technical Program Committee co-chair, represented Oort and brought back valuable insights and perspectives that underpin our strategic direction.
Dr. Li put forth his vision of the Metaverse: an expansive virtual world that has existed since the advent of human civilization but continues to evolve through technological advancements. From books to the internet, smartphones, and now augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), our interaction with this virtual domain has become increasingly immersive.
This ever-evolving immersion comes with its challenges and complexities. As Dr. Li noted, the development of a fully-realized Metaverse is inherently interdisciplinary, requiring a melding of diverse technological realms, including computer science, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and networking science.
Unpacking the technological requirements of the Metaverse, Dr. Li highlighted two significant factors. First, the Metaverse necessitates vast, easily accessible, and cost-effective computing power. Second, it demands user data privacy and ownership. Interestingly, a decentralized infrastructure might be the solution that ties these requirements together.
However, from an application standpoint, latency poses a considerable roadblock to the Metaverse’s massive adoption. Even a latency as brief as 100ms can adversely impact user experience, causing disorientation and synchronization issues. As Dr. Li emphasizes, the key lies in low-latency communication.
Dr. Li is optimistic about the Metaverse’s future, albeit with a realistic timeline. While he affirms that it will indeed shape our future, he estimates a timeline of 5 to 10 years before the necessary interdisciplinary technologies mature to a point where they can fully support a robust Metaverse ecosystem.
The IEEE MetaCom 2023 conference underscored the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to realizing the Metaverse vision. It facilitated a vibrant exchange of ideas, research, and future directions in Metaverse computing, networking, and applications.
The conference served as a fertile ground for exploring the convergence of various disciplines to address the challenges posed by the Metaverse, such as human-machine interfaces, ultra-low latency, high resource demands, low traffic, and trustworthiness.
Dr. Li’s participation in IEEE MetaCom 2023, particularly in his role as the Technical Program Committee co-chair, underscores Oort’s commitment to leading the change in the Metaverse’s evolution. His insights continue to shape our understanding and strategy as we pioneer technologies to bridge the gap between the physical and virtual worlds.
Within the burgeoning landscape of the Metaverse, Oort is carving out a pivotal role, energized by the insights shared by Dr. Li at MetaCom 2023. As an AI-powered data cloud, Oort unifies global compute and storage resources, delivering unparalleled privacy and cost-efficiency — key fundamentals of the Metaverse highlighted by Dr. Li. But Oort takes it a step further.
Our vision transcends mere participation; we’re setting new standards by empowering individuals to fully own and control their data, fostering a digital-physical symbiosis that resonates with the Metaverse’s core ethos. And we’re doing it all through the power of natural language, a revolutionary approach that ensures smooth, effortless data interaction, tackling the latency hurdle that stands in the way of the Metaverse’s full potential.
In essence, Oort isn’t just adapting to the Metaverse; we’re actively shaping its future, acting as the vital catalyst to bring about a seamless blend of our physical and digital realities.