Nvidia‘s annual tech conference, GTC, showcased the latest developments in the company’s hardware portfolio, as well as its achievements in AI and collaboration efforts with immersive technologies in the enterprise sector.
Driven by the demands of AI, this year’s hardware presentation focused on advancements in supercomputers. AI applications were highlighted, including chatbots, avatar generation, and robotics. Nvidia’s Omniverse, a metaverse platform for immersive collaboration and industrial design, continued to expand, with the addition of Apple Vision Pro to its portfolio of partnerships.
Apple’s adoption of Nvidia’s enterprise standard, rather than establishing its own, underscored the growing significance of Omniverse’s USD platform. Varjo remained the preferred industrial cooperation partner for virtual reality. GTC also showcased improvements in XR deployment, including standalone headsets with cloud rendering applications for automotive design.
Training applications for behavioral analysis and customer services were heavily promoted for XR. While VR simulations continued to dominate environmental scenarios, interpersonal scenarios shifted to mixed reality (MR), enhancing practice rooms and stage props with virtual elements and indications.
Advancements in generative AI-based avatar design were rapid, though achieving realistic human appearance remained challenging. Nvidia’s generative AI tools were mainly showcased in B2B activities such as industrial design and virtual production for the film industry, with fewer consumer-oriented products on display. More detailed presentations on AI tools for the game industry were reserved for the parallel-running Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.
New fields of image rendering at an unprecedented level of complexity were discussed, including a 360° projection system like the Sphere dome in Las Vegas. Producers impressed with reports on workflow challenges and technical problem-solving procedures for this immersive viewing experience, which may eventually become more interactive.
