Google's 3D teleconferencing platform, now called Beam, will ship later in 2025

At Google I/O 2025, Google announced the rebranding of Project Starline to Google Beam, a teleconferencing platform utilizing 3D imaging, and confirmed its launch later in the year. Beam will initially be available to early customers like Deloitte, Salesforce, Citadel, NEC, and Duolingo through a partnership with HP. The platform integrates with Google Meet and other videoconferencing services such as Zoom. Beam employs a six-camera array and custom light field display to create a 3D rendering of users, offering near-perfect millimeter-level head tracking and 60-frames-per-second video streaming. It also features an AI-powered real-time speech translation mode that preserves the speaker's voice, tone, and expressions, aiming to provide a natural and immersive conversational experience.

Despite the push for Beam, questions remain about its demand as many businesses return to fully in-office setups post-pandemic. While some senior management views remote work as a failed experiment, Beam may still find justification for office-to-office virtual conferences. In 2023, Google reported that around 100 companies, including WeWork and T-Mobile, were testing prototype versions of the technology. Google is collaborating with partners like Diversified, AVI-SPL, and Zoom to expand Beam's reach to organizations globally.

Key takeaways

Google is rebranding Project Starline to Google Beam and plans to ship it in 2025, targeting early customers like Deloitte, Salesforce, and Duolingo.
Beam will integrate with Google Meet and other videoconferencing services, using advanced hardware and AI to create a 3D, immersive meeting experience.
Despite the shift towards in-office work post-pandemic, Beam may still find demand for office-to-office virtual conferences.
Google is collaborating with partners like Diversified, AVI-SPL, and Zoom to distribute Beam globally.

Google's 3D teleconferencing platform, now called Beam, will ship later in 2025 | TechCrunch

Key takeaways

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