IEEE Digital Reality
IEEE Digital Reality is a non-profit technical community within IEEE, serving engineers, researchers, and industry professionals with content, standards, and platforms on AR, VR, XR, digital twins, and AI-driven digital transformation technologies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersPiscataway, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What IEEE Digital Reality does
IEEE Digital Reality is a technical community within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a non-profit public charity and the world's largest technical professional organization. Launched in 2018 as an IEEE Future Directions Initiative and formalized in 2023 as the IEEE Digital Reality Technical Community (DRTC) under the lead of the IEEE Consumer Technology Society, it operates as a content, community, and standards hub focused on digital transformation technologies — Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), eXtended Reality (XR), Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). The community is governed by a Steering Committee drawn from eight IEEE societies and organizational units, with global participation across the United States, United Kingdom, China, Germany, Japan, and India.
The community delivers a portfolio of products and services anchored by two core platforms: the Digital Reality Exchange (DRX), a matchmaking and project-vetting repository connecting digital reality suppliers, researchers, practitioners, and project owners; and Knowledge as a Service (KaaS), a prototype application exposing IEEE's proprietary ontology of approximately 14,000 terms and topics, supporting knowledge exploration, gap analysis, and Cognitive Digital Twin creation. Supporting outputs include an extensive eBook catalog (Knowledge in 2050, Digital Twins: Evolution in Manufacturing, Personal Digital Twins, Ethical & Societal Impacts, The Path Towards 6G and Digital Reality, among others), an ongoing webinar series, the IEEE Digital Reality Podcast Series, peer-reviewed indexing in IEEE Xplore, and an annual International Conference on Intelligent Reality (ICIR). The community also drives an IEEE VR/AR Working Group under the IEEE Standards Association that has attracted participants from more than 200 companies and institutions and is advancing twelve active standards projects spanning P1589 (Augmented Reality Learning Experience Model), P2048.1–2048.12 (device taxonomy, immersive video, person identity, environment safety, immersive UI, virtual object mapping, in-vehicle AR, content ratings), and P3141 (3D Body Processing).
IEEE Digital Reality is not a revenue-generating company; it is a volunteer-driven community financially supported by participating IEEE Organizational Units. Distribution flows through IEEE's pre-existing infrastructure — IEEE Collabratec (Community ID 83), the IEEE membership catalog, IEEE Learning Network, podcast streaming platforms, and social channels — alongside a steady cadence of webinars, podcasts, and conferences. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; content (eBooks, webinars) is largely offered free of charge, while event participation fees vary by event. Customer relationships are anchored by a small set of named corporate partners (Microsoft, Magic Leap, NavVis) and a global community of IEEE members, academic researchers, and industry professionals engaging in standards development, educational programming, and digital transformation research.
IEEE Digital Reality firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IEEE Digital Reality
- Legal name
- IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
- Website
- https://digitalreality.ieee.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- IEEE Digital Reality is a non-profit technical community within IEEE, serving engineers, researchers, and industry professionals with content, standards, and platforms on AR, VR, XR, digital twins, and AI-driven digital transformation technologies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IEEE Digital Reality industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Technical Community Services
- NAICS
- Information (51)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- STEM & Lab Simulation Media (Virtual Labs, AR/VR) (EDAGALAF), Digital Twins & Scenario-Based Systems Training (Equipment/Process Simulators) (EDAFAJAJ)
Keywords
Where IEEE Digital Reality is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Piscataway
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
IEEE Digital Reality business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Technical Community Membership: IEEE Digital Reality Technical Community membership provides access to extensive resources including publications, videos, articles, interviews, webinars, newsletters, workshops, and conferences. The community is financially supported by participating Organizational Units.
- Publications and eBooks: The initiative produces and distributes educational content including white papers, eBooks, and articles on digital transformation, digital twins, AR/VR, and related topics. Publications include Knowledge in 2050, Digital Twins: Evolution in Manufacturing, Personal Digital Twins, Digital Twins: Ethical and Societal Impacts, and more.
- Standards Participation: Through collaboration with IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), the initiative contributes to building global standards related to digital reality, AR, VR, human augmentation, and related areas. Standards activities include pre-standardization efforts and active projects.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
IEEE Digital Reality product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IEEE Digital Reality is a technical community within IEEE that operates as a central hub for digital transformation, providing publications, webinars, podcasts, conferences, and standards development focused on AR, VR, MR, XR, digital twins, AI/ML, and the metaverse. It operates two prototype platforms—Digital Reality Exchange (DRX), which matches project owners with digital reality suppliers and researchers, and Knowledge as a Service (KaaS), which provides access to the IEEE ontology of approximately 14,000 terms and topics. The initiative also coordinates an IEEE VR/AR Standards Working Group developing 12 standards covering device taxonomy, immersive video and audio, person identity, environment safety, and content ratings.
Product overview
IEEE Digital Reality is a technical community within IEEE focused on Digital Transformation, operating as a content and standards hub rather than a product company. Its core offerings are the Digital Reality Exchange (DRX) — a matching platform connecting digital reality suppliers, researchers, and project owners — and Knowledge as a Service (KaaS) — a prototype knowledge-delivery application accessing the IEEE ontology of ~14,000 terms. These are supported by an extensive publications portfolio including eBooks (Knowledge in 2050, Digital Twins Evolution, Personal Digital Twins, Ethical & Societal Impacts, Post-Pandemic Megatrends, The Future of Digital Twins, Megatrends 2021-2030, 6G and Digital Reality), a Webinar Series, and a Podcast Series. IEEE Digital Reality also drives an IEEE VR/AR Standards Working Group developing 12 standards (P1589, P2048 series, P3141) through collaboration with the IEEE Standards Association.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Reality Exchange (DRX) A platform serving as a trusted repository connecting digital reality suppliers, researchers, practitioners, and project owners. Provides project self-assessment vetting tools, ethics guidelines, matchmaker functionality based on practice area, industry verticals, project scope, expertise, and budget, and a repository of success stories and case studies.
- Knowledge as a Service (KaaS) A prototype application that delivers knowledge to users by providing access to the full IEEE ontology of approximately 14,000 terms and topics. Supports exploration and browsing of knowledge graphs, identification of duplicates, gaps, and inconsistencies, Cognitive Digital Twin creation and visualization, and technology roadmap creation leveraging the IEEE knowledge base.
- IEEE VR/AR Standards Working Group A working group developing 12 standards for virtual reality and augmented reality, covering device taxonomy, immersive video, immersive audio, person identity, environment safety, immersive user interface, virtual object mapping, in-vehicle AR, and content ratings. Active projects include P1589, P2048.1-P2048.12, and P3141.
- IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Reality (ICIR) A new research frontier called Intelligent Reality, combining AI with XR technologies to make actual reality more intelligent and responsive to human needs through seamless application of technology. The first conference dedicated to Intelligent Reality research and applications.
- IEEE Digital Reality Webinar Series An ongoing webinar series exploring the latest innovations and challenges in digital reality, covering AR/VR/MR, human augmentation, immersive technologies, and their industry impact.
- IEEE Digital Reality Podcast Series A podcast series featuring conversations with industry leaders in virtual reality, augmented reality, XR, human augmentation, and smart robots. Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
Quantifiable outcome
- IEEE positioned at the center of Digital Transformation through Digital Twins, AR, VR, MR, and Metaverse plus AI/ML
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use IEEE Digital Reality
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IEEE Digital Reality technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
IEEE Digital Reality partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.
- IEEE Consumer Technology SocietycoreIEEE Consumer Technology Society is the lead organizational unit for IEEE Digital Reality Technical Community (DRTC). The transition from Initiative to Technical Community was completed at the end of 2023 under the lead of IEEE Consumer Technology Society with support from IEEE Future Directions.
- MicrosoftkeyMicrosoft is an IEEE Digital Reality corporate partner featured in the IEEE Digital Reality Podcast Series. Kence Anderson, Director of Autonomous AI Adoption at Microsoft, appeared in a special podcast episode discussing Machine Teaching and Autonomous AI for upskilling communities. The partnership leverages Microsoft's expertise in AI for educational content.
- Magic LeapkeyMagic Leap partnered with IEEE Digital Reality for a webinar on Digital Twin Opportunities with Augmented Reality. Jade Meskill, VP of Product at Magic Leap, discussed enterprise applications of digital twins and AR in production environments, warehouses, offices, and retail stores.
- NavViskeyNavVis partnered with IEEE Digital Reality for a webinar on Digital Twin Opportunities with Augmented Reality. Ignacio Perez Hallerbach, VP and Global Head of Partners and Platform at NavVis, discussed technical aspects of localization and 3D mapping in complex business environments.
- IEEE Future DirectionscoreIEEE Future Directions supports the Digital Reality Technical Community. Previously, Digital Reality was launched as an IEEE Future Directions Initiative in 2018 with a broad cross-section of IEEE Societies and other OUs as active participants.
- IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA)coreIEEE-SA collaborates with IEEE Digital Reality to build and mature global standards related to digital reality, XR, human augmentation, and related areas. The plan is to take a comprehensive, holistic view while shaping the foundation of research in this emerging area.
- IEEE Educational ActivitieskeyIn partnership with IEEE Educational Activities, a series of courses on Digital Transformation have been made available through the IEEE Learning Network, expanding educational offerings related to digital reality technologies.
- IEEE Communications SocietysupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Fabrizio Granelli
- IEEE Council on RFIDsupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Logan Beaver, Greg Durgin, Ultan McCarthy, Luca Catarinucci, Ali Abedi, and Alice Buffi
- IEEE Electronics Packaging SocietysupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Kitty Pearsall and Denise Manning
- IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology SocietysupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Gaetano Valenza, Paul Sajda, May Wang, Gert Cauwenberghs, Metin Akay, and Nancy Zimmerman
- IEEE Reliability SocietysupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Yu Hou, Steven Li, and Pierre Dersin
- IEEE Robotics and Automation SocietysupportingParticipating OU represented on the Steering Committee by Paulo Menezes, Aude Billard, Bram Vanderborght, Deidre Artis, Amy Reeder, and Terence Martinez
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
IEEE Digital Reality competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
IEEE Digital Reality social profiles
Digital presenceIEEE Digital Reality financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IEEE Digital Reality leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
IEEE Digital Reality funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IEEE Digital Reality M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IEEE Digital Reality
What does IEEE Digital Reality do?
IEEE Digital Reality is a technical community within IEEE that operates as a central hub for digital transformation, providing publications, webinars, podcasts, conferences, and standards development focused on AR, VR, MR, XR, digital twins, AI/ML, and the metaverse. It operates two prototype platforms—Digital Reality Exchange (DRX), which matches project owners with digital reality suppliers and researchers, and Knowledge as a Service (KaaS), which provides access to the IEEE ontology of approximately 14,000 terms and topics. The initiative also coordinates an IEEE VR/AR Standards Working Group developing 12 standards covering device taxonomy, immersive video and audio, person identity, environment safety, and content ratings.
Is IEEE Digital Reality a public or private company?
IEEE Digital Reality is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was IEEE Digital Reality founded?
IEEE Digital Reality was founded in 2018. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is IEEE Digital Reality based?
IEEE Digital Reality is headquartered in Piscataway, United States, in the North America region.
How does IEEE Digital Reality make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Technical Community Membership is the primary driver. The others are publications and eBooks and standards Participation.
Does IEEE Digital Reality have an API?
No public API is recorded for IEEE Digital Reality.
What industry is IEEE Digital Reality in?
IEEE Digital Reality's product category is Professional Technical Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFACAG, Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons), with a secondary code of EDAGALAF, STEM & Lab Simulation Media (Virtual Labs, AR/VR). Its NAICS code is 51 and its SIC code is 2741.