Since 2010, AWE has been the world’s #1 XR and AI community, helping connect, educate, and enable commercial growth and market adoption for 5,000+ companies and 80,000+ professionals in the ecosystem. 2026 theme -- “I, Spatial: Humans Empowered by Spatial AI” offers a human-centric alternative to giving unchecked responsibility to AI. It is an identity for those seeking to restore human agency in an AI world and a commitment to building a future that is responsible, ethical, and equitable. This is a call to action for the ecosystem to show what “I, Spatial” means on the biggest stage in the XR world.

Come see us in Booth 1041!

Key Highlights for AWE 2026: https://www.khronos.org/events/highlights2/awe-2026

Khronos Group Related Sessions

Gaussian Splat Workflow – From Data Collection to Display

Time | Location: June 16 @ 5:05 – 5:50 PM | Rm 101A
Description: Gaussian splatting is emerging as a powerful production tool for creating static and dynamic, large-scale, photorealistic 3D assets, but many teams struggle to move from reconstruction to deployment. This panel provides XR developers and content creators with practical guidance on integrating Gaussian splats into production workflows, from data acquisition and reconstruction through optimization and delivery. Panelists will share real-world use cases, tooling insights, and performance best practices, with a focus on using the glTF asset format as a standardized delivery mechanism for web and native, cross-platform 3D applications. The session will also explore new and emerging capabilities for representing and rendering Gaussian splats within glTF-based pipelines, including approaches to lighting, interaction, and future extensibility.
Speakers: Sandy Ressler, Khronos Group; Tamrat Belayneh, Esri; Mindy LI, XGRIDS; Michael Rubloff, Radiance Fields

glTF / USD Interoperability Workflows

Time | Location: June 17 @3:45 - 4:45 PM | Rm 101A
Description: This panel examines practical interoperability workflows between glTF and USD, highlighting recent tooling and pipeline updates that address long-standing community pain points. Panelists will discuss remaining gaps and mitigation strategies, including best practices, tooling, and extension recommendations. Special attention will be given to material system translation, shading fidelity, and approaches for interoperating advanced representations such as Gaussian splats. Attendees will gain actionable guidance for building resilient, cross-tool workflows that preserve intent, performance, and visual quality across platforms.
Speakers: Alexey Medvedev, Meta (3D Formats WG Chair), Ashley Crowder, VNTANA; Henrik Edstrom, Independent; Nick Procino, Pixar

Optimizing XR Performance - Navigating the Texture Compression Landscape

Time | Location: June 17 @ 4:30 - 5:30 PM | Rm 101B
Description: Texture bandwidth and memory remain critical constraints for XR experiences across web, mobile, and native platforms. At the same time, creators must navigate a fragmented texture compression landscape spanning GPU- and platform-specific formats such as ASTC, BCn/DXTn, and ETC2 as well as emerging neural compression techniques. This panel will explore how teams can navigate compression tradeoffs while maintaining performance, visual quality, and portability. We’ll discuss compression decision points along the modern XR pipeline across engines and runtimes, and explore how to effectively manage multiple compression targets. We’ll also take a look at how container formats such as KTX 2.0 fit into the modern content pipeline enabling scalable delivery of multiple compression formats and allowing teams to deploy high-performance, portable textures even as new formats and hardware capabilities emerge.
Speakers: Leonard Daly, Khronos Group; Eric Griffith, Meta; Stephanie Hurlburt, Binommial; Amra Tareen, ALL3D

OpenXR Deep Dive: From Runtime Architecture to Spatial Computing

Time | Location: June 18 @ 3:00 - 3:25 PM | Rm 104B
Description: OpenXR is the foundation for cross-platform XR, but real interoperability requires more than targeting a single API. As XR platforms diversify, developers are seeing that conformance, runtime behavior, and extension support all shape actual portability. OpenXR continues to evolve to address these challenges.

This session explores the latest OpenXR developments shaping cross-platform XR in practice. We begin with the emerging spatial entities framework, including anchors, planes, markers, and persistence, enabling applications to understand and interact with shared spatial context across sessions and devices. These capabilities move OpenXR beyond hardware abstraction toward a common spatial layer for mixed reality. 
Speakers: Frédéric Plourde, Collabora

Metaverse Standards Forum Sessions

From Web Browser to Metaverse Browser: The open-standards moment for AR glasses and the spatial services they need

Time | Location: June 16 at 4:30 – 4:55 PM | Room 101A
Description: The web scaled on a simple premise: anyone can host content, any standards-based client can display it, and no single company controls either side. 

Spatial computing now faces the same choice. You can put on AR glasses today, but the current web stack cannot browse geolocated spatial content. Either we build an open, standards-based web for spatial content and services — or we risk staying locked into proprietary walled gardens. 

In this session, Sean Mann (CEO, RP1) and Neil Trevett (President, Metaverse Standards Forum and Khronos Group) will pull back the curtain on the Open Metaverse Browser Initiative and Sneeze — the first open-source metaverse browser engine, hosted at the MSF to invite broad participation from standards bodies and industry. Leave knowing exactly what is being built, who is building it, and how to get involved. 

Learn more at: omb.wiki
Speakers: Sean Mann, RP1; Neil Trevett, MSF

Open Metaverse Browser Initiative: A Working Roundtable

Time | Location: June 17 at 1:40 – 2:00 PM | Room 103B
Description: Architecture, roadmap, and how to get involved in the open spatial web

Someone will build the metaverse browser. OMBI exists to make sure it’s open. The choices being made today will define what the metaverse becomes — and at AWE 2026, that work is no longer theoretical. Sneeze, the open-source metaverse browser engine, is running in the first native metaverse browser. What gets built on top of it, and who shapes what comes next, is the conversation we’re having now.

Join Sean Mann (CEO, RP1) and Neil Trevett (President, Metaverse Standards Forum) for an open discussion on Sneeze’s architecture, the open standards roadmap, how OMBI connects with standards and tools you already use, and how to get directly involved. Come with questions. The metaverse will be built by the people who show up.

Speakers: Sean Mann, RP1; Neil Trevett, MSF