As all eyes turn to the horizon in search of exascale, one has to wonder how the computational infrastructure will change by the end of this decade. One very exciting possibility is presented by the rich simulation and interface technologies being explored as part of what Intel calls the 3D web.

From corporate and social gaming to immersive educational programs, virtual worlds and next generation interfaces will soon have an impact on many different aspects of society. To get a better understanding of what this is all about, we interviewed Mic Bowman, a principal engineer in Intel Labs and head of Intel’s Virtual World Infrastructure research project.

The Exascale Report: Mic, thanks for joining us today. A few years ago, at SC09 in Portland, Oregon, Justin Rattner (Intel CTO) gave the keynote address on the topic of 3D Internet, and I know you worked closely with him on that speech. What were some of the key points that you recall Justin making in that keynote?