NVIDIA, the global manufacturer of graphics processing units and integrated circuit technologies for workstations, personal computers and mobile devices, wants to step up efforts to develop more products for the Metaverse.
The metaverse is a concept that describes the next generation of internet content, where users will be able to interact with objects (and other humans) in virtual worlds in a deeper, multisensorial, richer way. It involves technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Non Fungible Tokens, Artificial Intelligence, Cryptocurrencies, Procedural Image Generation, among a huge number of other developments.
Build the metaverse (for free)
As reported by Reuters, NVIDIA does not develop metaverse or create metaverse-focused objects. Instead, he launched a program to support artists and content creators who focus on creating virtual worlds and products that enrich the user experience in the metaverse.
To this end, NVIDIA announced that it will distribute free versions of its “Omniverse” software to an undetermined number of artists. The cost of an annual license for this program starts at $9,000 for corporate clients.
Omniverse is new software developed by NVIDIA to create virtual worlds and objects ready for the metaverse. The idea is to allow users to create assets or worlds that can then be sold in third-party marketplaces.
In addition, the company announced a series of partnerships with several marketplaces oriented to the sharing of metaverse-related content. Although NVIDIA did not provide information about the content of the agreements, they did reveal that the first deals involved Shutterstock’s TurboSquid, Sketchfab, CGTrader, and Twinburu.
Daz3D, ActorCore and PlantCatalog will soon launch their collection of Omniverse ready assets.
NVIDIA And The Blockchain Industry
With this move, NVIDIA is accelerating its strategy to cement its presence in the nascent metaverse industry.
According to several analysts, the metaverse will be a dominant industry in the medium term, even entering the world of mainstream gaming. Wells Fargo analyst Aaron Rakers notes that product development tools for the Metaverse could turn into a $ 10 billion market opportunity within five years.
NVIDIA’s relationship with the blockchain ecosystem has been very profitable for the corporation. Over the past year, its stock reached 187% growth thanks to an explosion in sales of its graphics processors —something that was catalyzed mainly by demand from miners of proof-of-work cryptocurrencies like Ethereum.
Besides hardware development, NVIDIA’s research in graphics processing is also noteworthy and could greatly assist in the development of better products for the Metaverse, especially through artificial intelligence processes for very realistic rendering of faces and landscapes.
