AWE Asia is a flagship event of AWE(Augmented World Expo), often dubbed as “XR’s Most Essential Conference” and “The XR Conference for Everyone”. With three major annual events in the USA, Asia, and Europe, along with numerous other sessions worldwide, AWE Asia is a prime opportunity to bring together leading XR companies, investors, and international stakeholders to accelerate the growth of the XR market in Asia.

This year, I had the privilege of attending the event in Singapore in person as a speaker. Here are some key takeaways from Day 1.

The Grand Opening - AI ❤️ XR

David Weeks kicked off the event, highlighting the growing participation of XR in Asia and emphasizing gender diversity at the conference. Ori Inbar, AWE Co-Founder, officially opened the event with the powerful message, “AI loves ❤️ XR.”

He took us on a journey through 50 years of XR history, illustrating how every year brings a new breakthrough for XR, even though 2023 has been challenging. Ori’s message was clear: AI and XR are not in competition; instead, they complement each other beautifully. AI enhances human capabilities, and together with XR, they are poised to revolutionize the future.

Meta Goes Big with XR

I then attended a session by Mark Jeffrey from Meta, who discussed Meta’s ambitious expansion in the XR space. He showcased how Meta is bringing 2D apps like Zoom and Teams, Office 365, etc into spatial environments on their XR devices. Mark highlighted compelling use cases, such as Pfizer transforming extensive documents into XR training modules and Lufthansa utilizing XR for sales and soft skills training.

Meta’s Quest for Business was presented as a comprehensive solution for all enterprise needs, supported by over 1,000 ISV solutions. The session offered great insights into the future of mixed reality and workspace collaboration.

Mapping the Real-World Metaverse

Niantic, a pioneer in the real-world metaverse, is mapping the world to enable immersive, real-world collaboration. Brian McClendon discussed their approach—Capture, Create, and Play—and how it’s bringing the real-world metaverse to life. They recently launched Scaniverse 4.0, encouraging everyone to join the community. Niantic is accelerating adoption by integrating their 8th Wall ecosystem for web-based XR.

I also had the opportunity to discuss my book 📕, “Exploring the Metaverse”, with Brian, who appreciated the comprehensive approach I took in defining the metaverse.

The Rise of Virtual Commerce

There was a dedicated session on virtual economy and commerce. Mr. Aditya Mani and others explored the evolving role of avatars and how expressions are becoming crucial in virtual commerce. While it might seem unusual to invest real money in virtual goods, this is the reality for the next generation of users.

From virtual try-ons to AI-enhanced avatars, the possibilities are expanding rapidly. Virtual commerce, despite some current limitations, is becoming an integral part of the digital economy.

Healthcare, Wellness, and Responsible Adoption

Several sessions focused on the application of XR in healthcare, climate change awareness, and sustainability. I was particularly impressed by the work of Srushti Kamat and Lucy Hayto.

Dr. Prash P presented fascinating concepts in psychedelic therapy and how VR is naturally suited to certain steps in this therapy. The potential to create and replay spatial memories, much like the Pensieve in Harry Potter, was especially intriguing.

Networking and Promoting “Exploring the Metaverse”

I took every opportunity to promote my book, 📕 “Exploring the Metaverse,” which is now available globally. The book cover was proudly displayed on my T-shirt as I engaged with attendees.

I also represented Thoughtworks, showcasing our pioneering work in engineering practices for software development. We continue to inspire the XR software space with practices like automation testing, Agile methodologies, CI/CD, and AI-backed accelerators to fast-track development. The conversations were incredibly engaging, and I look forward to continuing them tomorrow.

First-Hand Experience at the EXPO Hall

The EXPO Hall was packed with fascinating XR use cases from companies like Lenovo, Meta, and Sony, featuring a variety of devices, from smart contact lenses to smart gloves and rings. I had the chance to experience some of these solutions firsthand, including dancing with a virtual partner, thanks to Dark Art Software. Although I couldn’t cover all the booths, I spent quality time at Lenovo’s XR Booth, where ThinkReality products are showcased, these are also backed by Thoughtworks.

It was great to meet Martand and Bon Teh in person with ISV partners. We made a copy of my book available at the booth. Martand also presented How Enterprise XR is expanding and role ThinkReality Eco-System in this space.

Ready for Day 2

These highlights barely scratch the surface of what I experienced on Day 1. The overwhelming response has left me eager for Day 2, which will also include two sessions from Thoughtworks— one panel discussion by me and another session by Arijit.

Stay tuned for more insights from this incredible event!

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