3EALITY will be the name of High Tech Campus Eindhoven’s new innovation hub. The announcement was made during yesterday’s Immersive Tech Day, where eleven demo partners, including industry giants such as Epic Games, NVIDIA and Philips, showcased their innovative business solutions to 150 business professionals. Additionally, the event provided attendees with an exclusive glimpse into the Campus’s ambitious vision for 3EALITY.

The launch follows Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recent visit to NXP Semiconductors and the High Tech Campus Eindhoven (HTCE) just last week. Cook is a long-time advocate for augmented reality (AR), and Apple took a major step into “the era of spatial computing” by announcing the Vision Pro earlier this year. With the launch of the new hub, HTCE is also actively embracing this emerging technology trend.

Building a new community

3EALITY will foster an ecosystem of innovators who work on spatial computing and Metaverse-enabling applications and business models, support partners and residents in showcasing business solutions and plans to educate the market by organizing events and initiating educational programs with universities. Office spaces and technical facilities will be centered in and around a large community area and co-working spaces, encouraging collaboration.

It will be the fifth innovation hub of HTCE. Among other things, the Campus has already successfully founded the 5G Hub and the AI Innovation Center, and with 3EALITY, it adds immersive tech to its portfolio.

The next step in the Campus strategy

“High Tech Campus Eindhoven has the ambition to be amongst the leading tech hubs worldwide in 2030. To realize this, we take a proactive role in driving innovation by starting physical hubs emerging from technology trends. This hub adds a software layer to the strong hardware layer of the Campus, a crucial step in achieving our ambition,” says Otto van den Boogaard, CEO of HTCE. Philipp Werle, business developer of emerging tech, adds: “As an R&D Campus, we have our eyes on 10 years ahead. These technologies are likely to have a big impact on all domains, and we see the potential of the business cases that can be enabled by this tech stack.”

Connecting the digital to the physical

Yesterday, HTCE introduced 3EALITY to the public. The blend of the two words is a reminder that, amidst all the digital transformations, we remain rooted in reality; where technology adds value. The “3” signifies the three-dimensional evolution of the Internet, encompassing all technologies that come with it. In a world where virtual realms can feel distant, 3EALITY connects the digital to the physical. That is why the brand and the hub are designed to harmonize with nature, creating a balance in the digital age.

Opening mid-2024

The Hub will be located on the ground floor and in the underground of HTC 37, the former building of Philips Research. The design of the space will be optimized to enhance inspiration and collaboration, which is essential to drive innovation and adoption of the technologies. The construction will take place in the coming months, and the official opening is scheduled for mid-2024, which is also when the first tenants are expected to move in. Werle: “Currently, we are finalizing collaboration agreements with companies that will provide us with the necessary infrastructure and know-how on the topic. Furthermore, we expect the first innovative companies to be located in the hub as soon as we open. This will be the start of a new cluster of emerging tech companies on HTCE.”