Qualcomm Expands Investment in XR and the Metaverse with the Formation of XR Labs Europe – an XR R&D hub in Europe

LONDON: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced the company has opened Extended Reality (XR) Labs in Europe. Europe already has a thriving augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) community and Qualcomm Technologies is committed to making XR the future of mobile computing. The XR Labs will focus activities on XR R&D, engineering and key technology development areas such as advanced hand tracking and gesture control, 3D Mapping and SLAM/Localization services, multi-user experiences, and image recognition. Also, XR SDKs providing access to foundational XR technology including object and geo-tracking.

The new labs in Europe build on Qualcomm Technologies’ commitment to make XR accessible to the masses and will be located across six cities in Europe initially, with the intention to add more in the future. The goal is to help design lightweight, sleek headworn glasses and make innovative technology available for developers through Snapdragon Spaces™ XR Developer Platform to build experiences that will transform everyday consumer, retail, industrial, enterprise, education and healthcare. Qualcomm Technologies is pushing the boundaries and charting its course to everyday use through continued R&D advancements.

Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm Europe, Inc., says: “The opportunities for XR are significant. Combine that with Europe’s rich R&D and leadership in XR and we see the XR labs in Europe as being a big contributor to XR development worldwide. Brilliant minds are already working at speed to realise our vision of XR and bring a plethora of revolutionary experiences to everyone from consumers, healthcare and industrial. These labs join our already significant R&D presence in Europe.”

Hugo Swart, VP & GM of XR, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., says: “A new era of spatial computing is upon us and working behind the scenes on a new generation of experiences has been inspirational. Bringing XR to life for consumers and the enterprise is our mission and we are strengthening that commitment with the XR Labs in Europe. These labs will be the key to building out our XR portfolio which encompasses best-in-class platforms, software and innovative technology features and to make it available to all developers helping to build out the metaverse through Snapdragon Spaces. We cannot wait for everyone to see what is next.”

Sean Seaton, Senior Vice President Group Partnering and Devices, Deutsche Telekom, says: “XR is the next stage of mobile computing and we are excited to see the opening of the Qualcomm XR R&D labs in Europe and we look forward to working closely with Qualcomm Technologies to bring our collective vision to reality. XR is incredibly exciting and stands to transform the way we work and live. 5G and future network innovations will empower experiences we could not have even imagined.”

Qualcomm Technologies’ XR ecosystem strategy is to help lead the XR revolution with optimized hardware powered by Snapdragon™ platforms, software, frameworks, tools, and broad OS support. This ecosystem develops compelling user experiences that drive demand for devices in key segments that are served by the Snapdragon platforms. Qualcomm Technologies’ innovations within mobile and XR devices enable technology and content leaders to come together today to deliver breakthrough immersive experiences that are inspiring the future of XR.

Qualcomm Technologies is uniquely positioned with its leadership in technology to support the ecosystem with the foundational technology to make the metaverse a reality. Such technologies are critical to create the experience that spans both physical and digital universes.

To bring XR to the masses, many breakthrough technologies are required in tandem with industry-leading talent. The XR labs allow for the growth in all these areas to deliver breakthrough immersive experiences that will inspire the future of XR.