Snap Ties Up With Salesforce, Nvidia, AWS to Push AR Glasses Into Workplaces

Snap has lined up partnerships with Salesforce, Nvidia and Amazon Web Services to bring workplace software onto its Specs augmented-reality glasses, as the company looks to build an enterprise foothold in a fiercely competitive market.

Specs, unveiled in June at a price of $2,195, represents a significant wager by the Evan Spiegel-led social media firm in a category that is attracting growing investment and consumer attention, and where Meta is the dominant player. Apple's experience with its Vision Pro headset, which has yet to become a mainstream success, illustrates the difficulty of building momentum in the AI-powered device segment.

Snap is pitching Specs as a work tool for businesses that need hands-free computing in settings where desktops are impractical, such as factory floors, retail outlets and field service operations.

Under the arrangements, Salesforce will bring its AI agent platform, Agentforce, to Specs, giving workers access to company data and the ability to automate tasks through the glasses. Nvidia will supply the AI processing that lets Specs interpret a worker's surroundings and pull up relevant company information, while Amazon Web Services will provide an AI assistant that supports voice commands for tasks such as checking product availability.

The partnerships also include software company Trifork and augmented-reality software firm Hololight. Snap did not disclose the financial terms of any of the deals.

A separately sold charging case for Specs will offer cellular connectivity through telecom partners, among them Verizon in the United States, Orange in France and BT Group's EE in the United Kingdom.

Snap also announced a Specs Intelligence AI service. Shipping of the glasses is expected to begin later this fall in the U.S., the UK and France. From October, consumers will be able to try Specs at the Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles.