During the 8th Global Mobile Broadband Forum which was held in London this month, TPCAST and Huawei Wireless X Labs signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 5G cloud VR rendering solution. TPCAST plans to offer an ultra-low latency codec and real-time VR data control protocol, while Huawei provides cutting-edge 5G network technologies.
Also during the event, Huawei and the University of Edinburgh signed a research cooperation to investigate the potential for AI robotics systems to operate over 5G wireless networks.
VR and AR are transformative technologies poised to revolutionise the consumption of content and communications in the fields of video, gaming, and virtual social media. They can also be used for healthcare, education, tourism, and design. According to market research from ABI and Wireless X Labs, the total VR and AR market value will increase from US$1 billion in 2016 to US$300 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 70.9 percent.
“TPCAST is excited to work with Wireless X Labs and develop the 5G cloud VR rendering solution,” said Michael Liu, CEO of TPCAST. “TPCAST’s ultra-low latency codec and real-time VR data control protocol makes cloud rendering possible. We are dedicated to working with Huawei to optimise our cloud rendering technologies and improve the VR experience. It is our solemn and inescapable duty to improve the cloud VR rendering solution.”
Wang Yufeng, who heads Huawei Wireless X Labs, emphasised that, “Cloud VR is an important use case for 5G networks. The connections between VR terminals and the cloud are crucial to deliver an optimal VR user experience. 5G networks can provide low latency and large bandwidth required by cloud rendering and content release. Huawei will provide world leading 5G network technologies and test environments and is honoured to partner with TPCAST to verify cloud VR, laying a solid foundation for future trials and commercial deployment on many operators’ networks.”
Speaking about the research cooperation, Professor Charlie Jeffery, Senior Vice Principal, University of Edinburgh said: “We are thrilled to have deepened our relationship with Huawei to researching 5G within AI applications. Our ambition is to utilise the knowledge of our world-leading experts to fully understand the interaction of AI and robotics systems with mobile networks. This new research agreement gives our team the opportunity to apply their 5G networking expertise into solving real-world problems – helping to transform industries including healthcare and emergency services.”
The project will build on the University of Edinburgh’s existing research into AI and autonomous systems to provide new insights into how these systems will use AI to collaborate with mobile broadband networks. This can enhance the performance of both networks and applications to enable greater levels of interaction between people and systems. Areas of initial focus include healthcare robotics and mobile video.
