Industrial Metaverse German industry’s contribution to the European Commission’s call for feedback „An EU initiative on virtual worlds: a head start towards the next technological transition“
28. April 2023 Harnessing the potentials of the Industrial Metaverse The megatrend Industrial Metaverse has recently gained significant attention due to its potential to fundamentally transform the functioning of industries. The Industrial Metaverse merges the real and the digital world by depicting and simulating complex systems, such as machines, factories, and cities. Thereby, it enables users to interact in an accurate virtual representation of the reality to solve complex real-world problems. The Industrial Metaverse is still in the midst of development and will be constructed using a variety of established and emerging technologies, such as digital twins, artificial intelligence, machine learning, extended reality, cybersecurity and blockchain as well as cloud and edge computing. The convergence of these technologies will result in a potent interface that surpasses the collective capabilities of each technology on its own, bridging the gap between the physical and digital world. The Industrial Metaverse holds great potential, both for industry and society. By precisely matching the technology to use cases and respective problems, sustainability in the industry can be improved. Digital twins – which form the centre of the Industrial Metaverse – allow for virtual testing in the design, build, and operating phases without wasting resources. Moreover, production can be optimized and constantly adapted using feedback loops in order to save energy and to reduce emissions. Apart from enhancing sustainability of industrial processes, the Industrial Metaverse can also contribute to business competitiveness by saving costs as well as increasing efficiency and productivity. However, it is not only the industry that benefits. Through the constant exchange of data and information, it will be possible to solve highly complex problems digitally, which will also create societal advantages. As a result, the Industrial Metaverse can make a major contribution on the road to the InnoNation – i.e., Germany as a pioneer location for innovation and industry – by creating an innovative environment where unprecedented opportunities for research, data sharing, and interactive collaboration emerge. On the following pages, BDI – The Federation of German Industries outlines seven recommendation that would help companies across the internal market to harness the potentials of the Metaverse. We would appreciate if the European Commission were to take our suggestions into account when drafting its Metaverse initiative.
Steven Heckler and Emilia Schuster | Digitalisation und Innovation | www.bdi.eu