Industrial use cases hint of a future for metaverse

Companies that have already deployed industrial metaverse use cases are seeing more reported benefits than those still in the planning phase expect, most notably in capital expenditure reduction (15%), sustainability (10%) and safety improvement (9%), according to a study by Nokia and EY.

State of Metaverse interest
The metaverse at work study shows that companies believe in the power of the metaverse and that metaverse technologies are here to stay. Only 2% of respondents see the metaverse as a buzzword or a fad, while 58% of companies with future metaverse plans have already deployed or piloted at least one metaverse-related use case. Among those who have yet to begin their metaverse journey, 94% plan to do so in the next two years.
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In terms of geography, the US (65%), UK (64%) and Brazil (63%) are currently leading the way when it comes to having deployed or piloted at least one industrial or enterprise metaverse use case. The average in Germany was 53% while Asia Pacific is less advanced (Japan, 49%; South Korea, 49%).

Use cases
When asked which use cases they most expect to deliver transformative value, enterprises saw the highest potential in the use of extended reality for training to onboard and upskill the workforce, while three out of the four industries surveyed chose the use of virtual R&D to enhance product design and processes.
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Vincent Douin, executive director of business consulting and business transformation with Ernst & Young says the industrial and enterprise metaverses are here, this study shows the clear appetite for these technologies such as extended reality and digital twins to achieve business goals.

"We are already seeing many organisations going above and beyond the planning stages and recognising tangible benefits from their initial implementations,” he claims.

Thierry Klein
For his part, Thierry E. Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research, Nokia notes that the metaverse interest in the private sector strongly aligns with the company's vision that sees the Industrial Metaverse as an extension of Industry 4.0.

"Consequently, those who have already implemented mission-critical communications networks for Industry 4.0 are now well placed to experience the benefits of the Metaverse that clearly some companies are already seeing,” he concluded.

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