Verizon debuts GPU-based 5G edge services for mobile VR/XR developers

As the 5G era kicks off, all signs point to dramatic improvements in virtual and mixed reality experiences as computing shifts from hardware worn on your body to nearby “edge” cloud servers. Since much of the processing will be visual and used by numerous users at once, Verizon has been preparing for the shift by developing new GPU-slicing technologies that enable a single graphics processor to offer services to multiple clients — an advance the carrier expects will benefit AR, VR, and XR users, as well as real-time enterprises, AI/ML users, and gamers.

Today, the GPU inside a virtual reality headset services only the user currently wearing it, and doesn’t feed any computing power back to the network for other people to share. Using a Verizon-developed prototype on a live network in Texas, a GPU being used to deliver computer vision as a service could support eight times as many concurrent users, or 80 times as many users when used for graphics gaming services.