One of the most interesting and interactive conferences that I usually attend is the SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) conference sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). It’s often at this conference you get to see the future of interactive entertainment and technology. The conference is an eclectic mix of academic, industry, and artistic professionals all coming together and intermixing their specific skills. As such, it is one of the more creative and inspiring conferences to attend.
Unfortunately, this year I will not be able to attend in person but, like many conferences post-COVID, it will have both an in-person and streaming aspect. Even if you cannot make it to the Los Angeles Convention Center next week, you can still register and watch some of the content that will be streamed, including all the keynotes.
The SIGGRAPH keynotes this year are an eclectic mix as well, covering everything from the history of women programmers to the future quantum computing. In that mix is also a keynote from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for which there are little details prior to the event. But knowing Mr. Huang, this will still be an interesting hour-long keynote where he will probably reveal some new Nvidia products and research. The bare minimal description implies that Huang will focus on new technology in AI, computer graphics, and Nvidia’s participation in OpenUSD, the organization just announced to promote and standardize the open universal scene description language used to describe, compose, and simulate large-scale 3D projects and build 3D-enabled products and services that can be repurposed on different platforms. Nvidia will have a series of talks and demos related to USD at the show. OpenUSD has the support of Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, in addition to Nvidia. The goal of the alliance is to promote greater interoperability of 3D tools and data to build a range of 3D-enabled products and services using OpenUSD.
I fully expect to see some product announcements that marry computer graphics and AI, as AI is expected to have a profound impact on the entertainment and industrial design industries and the company is at the intersection of both. As is usual for a Jensen Huang keynote it is a don’t-miss opportunity to catch up on the latest from Nvidia. The Nvidia keynote will also be broadcast on the company’s website.
One of the other keynotes at the conference be a talk from IBM’s Dr. Darío Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research on the future of quantum computing and how it can help solve some of the world’s toughest problems.
SIGGRAPH is also at the leading edge of movie production technology and there will be a keynote on the Unity Wētā Tools which is used in character creation, environment building, rendering, and compositing. This tool was once limited to top-tier visual effects (VFX) and special effects (SFX) companies.
As part of the historical perspective that SIGGGRAPH brings, Author, Lawyer, and Professor Kathryn Kleiman will keynote to tell the story of the programming pioneers who were mostly forgotten by history: The six women who programmed the ENIAC, the world’s first general-purpose, programmable, all-electronic computer. You can read more about her project here below.
Sony’s Chief Technology Officer, Hiroaki Kitano, will host a keynote panel with a number of the company’s creators, who will describe how they employ creativity and technology to realize their creative visions for the world.
The final keynote is from startup Vast. Yachen Song, Founder and CEO, will share his insights into 2D and 3D generative AI, covering state-of-the-art methodologies and future prospects. Using emerging technologies like AI create new opportunities in human creativity.
Leading Edge of XR
SIGGRAPH has been a place to see the leading edge of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), often collectively referred to as extended reality (XR), research and this year is no different. For those who do make it to the LA Convention Center, Meta will be there to demonstrate two prototype VR and MR headsets. The first is Butterscotch Varifocal, which combines varifocal technology with a retinal-resolution VR display. The second is Flamera, a computational camera that uses light-field technology for reprojection-free VR passthrough. Both Butterscotch Varifocal and Flamera are in the research stage at Meta, but the technologies may inspire consumer products in the future.
The VR Theater at SIGGRAPH has some of the most inspiring uses of virtual world and experiences. And now, some of those experiences can use AI to further stretch the imagination.
You can read more about SIGGRAPH’s vision of inclusion and immersive storytelling here:
Summary
This year, ACM is celebrating the 50th SIGGRAPH conference and the program will reflect on half a century of discovery and advancement while also looking forward on the cutting edge of interactive technologies. It’s also a place where creative artists and story tellers can show how they use technology in unique ways. It’s always a thought proving conference.
Tirias Research tracks and consults for companies throughout the electronics ecosystem from semiconductors to systems and sensors to the cloud. Members of the Tirias Research team have consulted for AMD, Arm, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and other companies throughout the CPU and GPU ecosystems.
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