Chinese multinational tech giant Baidu is gearing up to secure a slice of the metaverse pie. Xi Rang, the company’s first metaverse-based app, has started undergoing internal testing.
A select group of early testers is to help set the project direction as the company strives to build a presence in the metaverse arena. General users will be able to start experiencing Xi Rang on Monday, July 27 during Baidu Create, Baidu’s annual flagship developers’ conference.
Xi Rang, dubbed “Land of Hope,” will be able to accommodate up to 100,000 people in a 3D virtual environment. The three-day event will bring participants an opportunity to experience a metaverse connection, allowing them to engage with others and explore notable landmarks such as the Shaolin Temple and the Sanxingdui Museum. The conference comprising of one main forum and 20 subforum.
The conference, which will give centre stage to the unveiling of Baidu’s technological breakthroughs and applications in fields such artificial intelligence, intelligent transportation, biocomputing, quantum computing, and self-driving cars, invites developers and innovators from all around the world to attend. It is the country’s first metaverse conference, with Xi Rang all set to make history hosting it.
The three major obstacles that could stymie the growth of the metaverse, according to Ma Jie, Xi Rang head and vice president of Baidu, are building a completely immersive real-time environment, emulating visuals, and interactive sound.
We need to make breakthroughs in several key technologies, such as safe, self-independent and intelligent cloud computing technologies as well as continue to innovate in artificial intelligence, edge computing, virtual reality and augmented reality while building up a content ecosystem. Currently, the metaverse is still in a very early stage. Its development is gradual, and we need a community and a long time to build it.
With a wealth of AI and cloud computing expertise at its disposal, Baidu is attempting to create the infrastructure needed for the metaverse.