Leading electronics manufacturer Compal Electronics (2324-TW) has officially launched its "XR Cube" platform, aiming to capitalize on open opportunities within the emerging Metaverse. Liang Chih-hsien, Vice President of Compal's R&D Center, revealed that the company has already secured at least 10 strategic partners. He expressed optimism that XR applications across smart factories, sports stadiums, and concerts will gain significant traction in the coming year. Additionally, Liang announced plans to establish a new laboratory in Kaohsiung's Asia New Bay Area next year.
Pioneering 5G MR Drone Racing Compal is actively participating in the Ministry of Economic Affairs' (MOEA) "A+ Industrial Innovation R&D Program." On Saturday (Dec. 11), in collaboration with the MOEA’s Department of Industrial Technology and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the company will unveil the world's first 5G MR drone racing competition. Leveraging Mixed Reality (MR) technology, the event is designed to offer players an immersive, first-person perspective experience.
B2B Applications to Lead the Market Regarding future applications, Liang noted that beyond drone racing, MR technology is expected to be adopted in baseball games and concerts. However, given that entertainment activities are largely consumer-oriented (B2C), he anticipates that commercial B2B demands—such as smart factories, maintenance inspections, and conferencing—will mature first in the short term.
Compal has already demonstrated success in this sector. Last year, the company facilitated the deployment of over 20 sets of MR glasses at ASE Technology Holding's (3711-TW) first 5G private network factory in Kaohsiung, enabling factory operations via 5G enterprise networks. Liang pointed out that ASE also utilizes these MR glasses for water resource educational tours. The first phase of this project concluded this year, with a second phase expected to launch next year.
Technical Strategy and Proprietary Hardware Looking ahead, Compal aims to utilize the XR Cube platform to enable connectivity for terminal XR devices. By leveraging the low-latency characteristics of 5G, the platform will employ edge computing to facilitate high-performance video and audio processing on these devices.
In terms of product development, Compal noted that while it has not yet undertaken contract manufacturing orders for international XR device brands, it has successfully launched VR headsets and MR glasses under its proprietary brand, APAL. Notably, the latest generation VR headset incorporates short-throw optical technology from TeamLuck, successfully reducing the device's form factor and weight. The company also plans to integrate eye-tracking technology into its future product lineup.
