In Augmented Reality News
June 11, 2025 – Niantic Spatial, a provider of geospatial AI technology, is showcasing its platform and announcing several strategic developments at AWE USA 2025 in Long Beach, California.
The company has partnered with Snap Inc. in a multi-year agreement to build an AI-powered global map for AR glasses and AI agents. Snap will also invest in Niantic Spatial. The partnership was announced during Snap CEO Evan Spiegel’s keynote on June 10.
The companies plan to bring Niantic Spatial’s scanning technology and Visual Positioning System (VPS) to the Snap ecosystem through Lens Studio, Snapchat, and Spectacles later this year. According to Niantic Spatial, this is expected to give 400,000 AR developers the ability to create digital experiences at millions of locations, and enable 900 million Snapchatters to discover these Lenses and contribute to expanding the map.
“Our ambition at Niantic Spatial is to build spatial intelligence that helps people and machines better understand, navigate, and engage with the physical world,” said Niantic Spatial CEO John Hanke. “Both companies are investing in spatial computing as the foundation for the next era of technology, from AR glasses to physical-world AI agents. This partnership accelerates that shared vision.”
“We believe that digital experiences can integrate more naturally in the physical world, enabling more human-centered computing experiences,” said Evan Spiegel, CEO and co-founder of Snap. “Working with Niantic Spatial as our partner, we’re excited to empower developers to create experiences that are more intuitive, immersive, and connected to the world than ever before.”
A preview demo of the joint work with Snap and Niantic’s Peridot experience is available this week outside the Long Beach Convention Center during AWE USA 2025.
In addition to the partnership with Snap, Niantic Spatial also announced that it has also partnered with the Singapore Tourism Board to create Garden of Wonder, an immersive AR experience located at Gardens by the Bay. Built with the company’s ARDK and experienced through Magic Leap 2 devices, the installation allows visitors to interact with botanical content in a shared multiplayer environment. A preview is available at the Niantic Spatial Lounge at AWE.
In addition, Niantic Spatial has launched a new Developer Program offering early access to its platform, along with dedicated support and co-marketing opportunities. Initial participants include Sugar Creative, Wonderment, and Trigger XR.
Twelve demonstrations are available at the company’s lounge space at AWE USA 2025, covering enterprise use cases across logistics, planning, and immersive experiences:
- The Drop Zone explores spatial solutions for delivery logistics.
- Demos from Sphere and Aelius present tools for collaboration and operational planning.
- Entertainment demos include the aforementioned Singapore Tourism Board demo, as well as Hello, Dot on Meta Quest, Peridot Beyond on Snap Spectacles, Entrance (XR Portal), Globe Hopping, Scaniverse, and Into the Scaniverse.
An invite-only outdoor VPS demo using Snap Spectacles is also available at 164 S Pine Ave, Long Beach.
Niantic Spatial develops geospatial AI technology built on a third-generation digital map and the company’s Visual Positioning System, which offers centimeter-level accuracy. The company stated that its long term goal is “to build and train a Large Geospatial Model to deliver a semantically rich, spatially grounded understanding of real-world locations.”
For more information on Niantic Spatial, click here. To learn more about Snap Inc., click here.
Image / video credit: Niantic Spatial
About the author
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.