With the metaverse emerging as a technological mega-trend, Qualcomm sees core expertise around computing, connectivity, graphics, camera, XR and other areas as key to delivering the infrastructure and devices that will underpin the next phase of immersive interactions. In this interview, Qualcomm's Hemanth Sampath, senior director of engineering, discusses the path ahead and the importance of end-to-end optimizations to both 5G and Wi-Fi in enabling the metaverse.

At MWC 2022, Qualcomm showcases advanced wireless research on technology enabling augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cloud gaming. Utilizing on-device processing, cloud compute, and a low-latency 5G connection, there are endless capabilities for different applications. At Qualcomm, we continue to focus on new use cases for 5G, with an important one being boundless AR. While a long-term vision for the metaverse is to allow for 5G-powered AR glasses that are capable of a direct cloud connection, a short-term solution uses Wi-Fi powered AR glasses that communicates with the cloud using a 5G phone or laptop. In this demo, we showcase optimizations on a prototype boundless AR system. More specifically, the motion-to-render-to-photon latency (M2R2P) process is explained. 5G and Wi-Fi round trip times are key components of the M2R2P process. The demo tackles a challenging scenario and highlights how our system-level latency optimizations greatly improve boundless AR experiences.