What the IBM Insitute of Business Value describes as the “enterprise metaverse” will “build the foundation for a purposeful future,” according to a new report from the Institute. The report loosely defines it as “the network of shared 3D experiences that blur the divide between the digital world and the physical world.”

The report outlines three characteristics of this enterprise metaverse:

Copresence: the desire to be with others

Collaboration: the need for interaction, voice, and co-creation

Connection: the need for persistent/omnipresent experiences

It cites an early adopter working with IBM, the Unilever Web3 Collective, whose Program Director Emily O'Brien is quoted as saying, “We’re on the cusp of a seismic shift: the biggest change to the digital landscape, and culture, since the dawn of social media in the early 2000s.”

There are five areas of opportunity covered in this analysis: new product development, manufacturing and supply-chain operations, store and space design, training and support, and creating enhanced customer experiences.

In the world of supply chain, it identifies all the “realities” of the metaverse: augmented, virtual, extended, and mixed, as well as the complex simulations of creating digital twins, and AI/ML brought to bear throughout engineering, manufacturing, and supply-chain processes.

The full report is available by download from the Institute.