Google Beam 3D videoconferencing platform launches in France

Image credit: Abondance

PARIS — Google Beam, a 3D videoconferencing platform, became commercially available to businesses in France and other key international markets Friday, Google announced.

The immersive technology, which aims to enhance remote collaboration, is being delivered to enterprise clients in France, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, supported by 18 distribution partners.

The hardware, marketed by HP as HP Dimension with Google Beam, integrates with existing communication platforms such as Google Meet and Zoom, according to Google.

An internal Google study conducted over eight weeks indicated that Beam users reported feeling 50 percent more connected during virtual interactions and held 21 percent fewer follow-up meetings.

Aaron Luber, a Google executive, said the platform was designed to make remote interactions feel more personal and reduce the need for subsequent discussions.

Google Beam, originally unveiled as Project Starline at the I/O 2021 developer conference, utilizes an 8K 65-inch ‘light field’ screen. The system incorporates six cameras, volumetric video artificial intelligence and microlens optics to create a glasses-free 3D effect, projecting a lifelike representation of the remote participant.

The HP Dimension with Google Beam device was priced at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $24,999 upon its 2025 announcement, in addition to a separate Google Beam license.

Google has also partnered with Industrious to offer Beam sessions in flexible workspaces across the United States, with bookings expected to begin in October. This initiative aims to make the technology accessible to a broader range of businesses without requiring a full hardware purchase.

Keith Bevans, a partner at Bain & Company, noted the potential for such technologies to transform how global teams interact, citing examples from companies like Netflix and Capital Group that rely heavily on distributed workforces.

Source: Abondance