Ep. 37 How the Metaverse and Moore’s Law are connected?

In today’s episode, I will follow up (Episode 25) on the Metaverse and its connection with Moore’s Law. As a bonus, I will comment on a safe approach for business protecting their investment in Digital Acceleration initiatives.

As always, it will be simple and concise but accurate. Click on Subscribe if you want to be informed of new episodes.

I’ve been reading and thinking a lot about the metaverse recently, and there are some ideas that I would like to share with the audience.

Did you know that this audience comprises almost 700 thought leaders in 40 countries?  (Americas, EMEA, Asia, Africa, Oceania).

To my thought leaders all over the place, a big thank you! Your private and public comments are welcome and encouraged.

Is the Metaverse a reality or a manifestation?

Let’s start by saying that the metaverse is not a concept or reality: it is closer to a manifestation: a view and intention about the future.

We can identify three waves if we consider the history of data processing and computing (A.K.A. IT’s role in society).

Computer waves based on IT’s role in Society

1. Centralized Computing via Mainframes
2. Personal Computer and the internet
3. Mobile Computing and Cloud

Each one of these waves was triggered by a mix of computing power, telecommunication, application programming, and after all, user experience.

Currently, a new wave is in its origins, the metaverse, aims for users to have a three-dimensional interaction in real-time with others over the internet.

So, how does this relate to Moore’s Law?

What is Moore’s Law about?

Authored by Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, Moore’s Law is a statistical observation showing that the number of transistors (computing power) in a dense Integrated Circuit (IC) doubles every two years.

This observation (law) has been proven right since its origins in 1965. (Wikipedia Link)

If you think about the initial three waves, computing power was a critical factor enabling each wave, and in my opinion, is also a critical factor enabling the Metaverse.

Let me illustrate my point by defining some key ingredients a Metaverse must have.

Key elements of the Metaverse

• Must be inclusive: All users may interact with all services.
• Must be practical: Any user must be able to interact with the metaverse using intuitive simple-to-carry technology.
• Must allow users to interact in real-time.
• Must allow users to share and analyze information based on 3D reality.

If you agree with these features, let me show the impact on computing power that needs to be available on a personal carry-on device.

The Metaverse, in terms of Computing Processing needs  

Follow me in this example:

Imagine you visit your physician because of a medical condition with an unknown cause, a headache. After some labs test and a visit to a specialist (neurologist), you receive an order to do a high-resolution scan of your head.

The scanned test is done with a huge device, where you lay horizontally for about 10 minutes, and 20 to 40 images are taken. These are recorded into a high-capacity DVD to be analyzed by your neurologist.

So?

Well, it took about 30 minutes to get a High-Resolution snapshot of YOUR HEAD.

Now think of these:

1. If we need to produce 40 to 60 snapshots PER SECOND (Frames per second, FPS) of a 3D reality to set the living room for the metaverse, what computing power would be needed? For one individual, for two, for a room with a hundred individuals.
2. What will happen if each participant wants a personalized view of the 3D reality because each participant is in a different geographical position? Think of watching a world cup game, and every participant can select their seat, as each participant will watch the game based on a camera positioned in a unique position (a chair). Each image will be protected and certified using Blockchain and NFT. (Episode 34)
3. What can we do to reduce the complexity?
4. More importantly, what can businesses do to prepare for the metaverse knowing these limitations?

Do you connect the points?

Some thoughts:

1. An improvement in computing power is required to create the amount of information needed to create a personalized experience in real time. If Moore’s Law continues to be true in the future, this will happen eventually, but still, an Integrated Circuit reengineering will be needed to deal with the current energy consumption showed by GPU (Graphical Processing Units) utilized by Gaming Console and Crypto Mining platforms, same technology to be used in Metaverse applications on-a-mobile.
2. A massive improvement in Telecomm is required. I’m not sure 5G is the solution to managing this traffic, but the 5G approach is in the right direction.
3. New algorithms are required to speed up information rendering in each personal device. Subject Matter Experts think “Curated Open Source” will play an essential role in the future.
4. A quantum leap in the graphic processing capabilities of the end device is also needed. GPU may be the right technology, but the thermal needs are not appropriate for an end-user carry-on device.

Final Thought:

This is not about if the Metaverse will happen or not.

It is about when the Metaverse will happen and how.

I think it is safe for Businesses to protect and accelerate their Digital Transformation journey by periodically reviewing and updating their IT Enterprise Architecture.

Good enough?