AWE USA 2025 Day 1 Highlights!
AWE USA 2025 officially opened today, following a packed Day 0 that included the MIT Reality Hack x Snap LiveAR hackathon, the XR Guild + Virtual World Society unconference, and a welcome party hosted by Android XR.
Highlights from Day 1
Opening Keynote: for the 16th year, AWE Co-founder and CEO, Ori Inbar, welcomed attendees with his annual State of XR keynote. The room was full as he declared 2025 the Year of the XR Master Builder, spotlighting XR’s role in AI and AWE’s new Builders Nexus.
Main Stage Speakers:
o Ziad Asghar (Qualcomm) on scaling spatial computing with AI, 5G, and XR platforms.
o Evan Spiegel (Snap) made his AWE debut, sharing Snap’s AR vision and creator ecosystem.
o Chi Xu (XREAL) on making AR glasses a daily-use product.
Expo Opens:
At 11:00 AM the show floor opened, giving attendees the chance to explore 250+ exhibitors—including Qualcomm, Pico, Lenovo, XREAL, and others. Two new zones debuted this year—the Builders Nexus and Gaming Pavilion—alongside the most expansive and interactive Playground to date:
• The Builders Nexus, with lightning talks, speed networking, and demos.
• The Gaming Pavilion, featuring live XR gameplay, panels, and interactive content.
• The AWE Playground returned with 24 hands-on installations.
Track Sessions
The agenda covered a lot of AI related content, XR standards, creator tools, and enterprise case studies. Sessions were active all day across tracks for Developers, Creators, Enterprise, and Policy.Enterprise VIP
VIP attendees joined curated tours and expert roundtables—on XR in manufacturing, AR marketing strategy, and building business cases—sponsored by Niantic. Explore VIP agendaActivations
From XRAI’s multilingual AI captions to the “Everybody’s a Winner” AR filter, activations brought energy and accessibility across the event. The Wellness Walk, author events, and AR art also gave attendees ways to reflect and recharge. Explore all activations
AWE USA 2025 Day 2 Recap!
Day 2 at AWE featured top speakers, packed sessions, and a buzzing expo floor filled with interactive tech and live demos.
Main Stage Highlights
• Brian McClendon (Niantic) shared how geospatial models are helping AI understand the world.
• Nils Pihl (Auki Labs) explored how to make the physical world more accessible to AI.
• Google did a deep dive into Android XR — outlining how Google’s latest platform will enable a wave of headsets and glasses built for all-day wear and integrated experiences.
• Snap’s Bobby Murphy spoke about how developers are pushing the boundaries of AR but at the same time creating a developer-friendly ecosystem that’s defining the next generation of AR experiences.
• Jason Rubin joined Sonya Haskins for a fireside chat on what’s next in XR gaming and content.
• The Bushnell family, led by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, discussed how gaming has evolved from arcades to XR.
Track Sessions & Start-Up Pitches
Talks covered topics like AI NPCs, immersive healthcare training, XR for sports, retail, and live entertainment. The Start-Up Pitch Competition also introduced nine promising XR companies.Expo & Playground
Attendees explored tools for eye tracking, accessibility, VR walking, educational apps, Samsung’s latest displays, and 360° video experiences. Live podcasts and hackathon demos drew big crowds at the Builders Nexus and Gaming Hub.Auggie Awards & Hall of Fame
The day ended with the 16th Annual Auggie Awards and the celebration of 10 new Hall of Fame inductees — all recognized for shaping the XR industry.See here the list of winners.
AWE USA 2025 Day 3 Recap!
AWE USA 2025 ended on a high note—with buzzing stages, new connections, and plenty of “one last things” across the expo floor.
🎮 Gaming & Spatial Futures:
From the future of XR gaming to how wearables are enabling Physical AI, main stage panels brought bold visions and real-world applications.💡 Track Sessions:
From coding with AI to spatial sound design and healthcare use cases, attendees soaked up expert insights in intimate settings.🚀 Builders Nexus & Gaming Hub:
Day 3 featured final Lightning Talks with winners of the XR Design Challenge, plus rapid-fire sessions from game devs pushing immersive boundaries.🧩 Playground Favorites:
20+ hands-on activations capped off the show—from bungee VR to haptics and collaborative art.