If accurate, this should be great news for the Apple Vision Pro: Omdia’s latest research, Spatial Computing: Cloud and Edge, indicates that the global spatial computing market is estimated to be $4.5 billion in 2024.
The research group says will exceed US$10 billion in 2029, with a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) of 18% “through wide adoption in major consumer and enterprise use cases.”
A term coined in 2003, spatial computing refers to the process involved in integrating digital data with the physical world and all the associated human interactions. Unlike 3D scene rendering, where the simulated world is isolated from the physical world and doesn’t need to include changes in the real-world environment, spatial computing overlays digital data onto the physical world. All interactions with the data can influence the physical world and vice versa.
More importantly, spatial computing represents a transformative shift for businesses, allowing users to seamlessly blend the physical and virtual worlds. This innovation is redefining how we interact with data, objects, and one another, according to Oldie Analyst Lian Jye Su.
Traditionally, spatial computing is a very computationally intensive process. The emergence of cloud infrastructure enables large amounts of data to be collected, stored, shared, and integrated into various applications. At the same time, the availability of flexible and scalable computing and storage resources encourages enterprises and developers to create large-scale applications that are hosted in the cloud and accessed from different locations.
Spatial visual and audio content creation, game development, digital twin, and near real-time simulations are some of the critical use cases that demand immersive user experience by integrating precise geolocation information and motion sensing, says Su.
With the advancement of edge compute and storage technology, vendors are determined to integrate spatial computing with various devices. Premium XR devices like Apple Vision Pro have showcased the promise of on-device spatial computing.
“Nonetheless, the technology remains nascent as the industry continues to see significant technology vendors offer related solutions,” Su says. “To achieve this growth, Omdia expects spatial computing technology providers to improve chipset efficiency further, embrace domain-specific generative AI for spatial computing, build a vibrant ecosystem, and, most importantly, push for open standards that promote seamless interoperability and integration,” concludes Su.
