Skip to main content

The next version of HoloLens will include built-in artificial intelligence

Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality system hasn’t quite made its way to the mainstream market yet, but the company is already planning its successor. And Microsoft will be adding some artificial intelligence (AI) to the next version, to make it even better at merging real and simulated realities.

The information comes from the Microsoft Research team, via a video that was taken at the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2017 event in Hawaii. The video shows off Microsoft’s presentation of a new Holographic Processing Unit (HPU) that incorporates some advanced speech and image processing capabilities.

Recommended Videos

Specifically, HPU 2.0 will add in a dedicated AI coprocessor that will help the next HoloLens version make better sense of what a user is looking at and listening to while using the device. By incorporating the new AI chip on the HoloLens itself, the latency of sending data to the cloud for processing can be avoided and the resulting experience significantly enhanced. The video shows off the new system’s real-time ability to recognize each individual hand segment in action.

As the Microsoft Research Blog wrote:

“The AI coprocessor is designed to work in the next version of HoloLens, running continuously, off the HoloLens battery. This is just one example of the new capabilities we are developing for HoloLens, and is the kind of thing you can do when you have the willingness and capacity to invest for the long term, as Microsoft has done throughout its history. And this is the kind of thinking you need if you’re going to develop mixed reality devices that are themselves intelligent. Mixed reality and artificial intelligence represent the future of computing, and we’re excited to be advancing this frontier.”

There’s no additional information on when the next HoloLens will be released or what it will be called. Today, HoloLens is primarily a device aimed at larger organizations for real-world applications and at developers for pushing mixed reality into more mainstream applications. It remains far too expensive for consumer applications.

Nevertheless, it’s obvious that Microsoft wants the next version of HoloLens to be even smarter. It might not bring human-level intelligence or consciousness to the market, but at least HoloLens will be able to help users more easily comprehend the world around them.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
The Academy Awards have new film rules. AI is now okay for the Oscars
Robots touching Oscar award.

In 2024, Hollywood was roiled by protests led by the SAG-AFTRA union, fighting for fair rights over their physical and voice identities in the age of AI. A deal was inked late last year to ensure that artists are fairly compensated, but the underlying current was obvious. 

AI in films is here to stay. 

Read more
No more nasty surprises as Airbnb makes big change to booking process
An Airbnb sign.

A key point of frustration for many Airbnb users  is the way the accommodation site adds mandatory extras such as cleaning fees and service fees at the very end of the booking process, sometimes making the desired booking suddenly unaffordable.

Airbnb has finally gotten the message and on Monday announced that users everywhere will now see the total price of their stay right from the start of the booking process, including all fees before taxes (in some countries the taxes will also be shown from the outset).

Read more
Nvidia releases quick fix for incorrect GPU temperature readings
The RTX 5090 sitting on top of the RTX 4080.

Nvidia’s recently released GeForce Game Ready Driver 576.02 for the RTX 5060 Ti has been causing issues for users, with a bug affecting GPU temperature monitoring across a range of graphics cards. After installing the update, many users reported on Reddit and various forums that their GPU temperature readings became frozen or static, remaining stuck at a single value regardless of actual thermal conditions.

The issue can potentially prevent proper fan speed adjustments which can then lead to overheating, as the system relies on real-time temperature data to regulate cooling.

Read more