Imagine training nurses in a field hospital scenario, without leaving the classroom. Or equipping your maintenance engineers to diagnose and fix complex issues remotely with just a smart pair of glasses. Sounds futuristic? Think again.
Extended Reality (XR) the umbrella term for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and everything in between, is no longer just a tech gimmick. It's becoming a strategic enabler for learning, productivity, and workforce support. At Sopra Steria, we’ve been helping organisations make that leap from experimental to essential, since well before the hype.
As a long-standing Microsoft partner, we build our XR experiences using Microsoft technologies like HoloLens, Azure AI, and the broader Microsoft ecosystem. From immersive training to AI-enhanced field support, Microsoft’s innovation backbone is an essential part of what enables us to deliver cutting-edge results.
From the classroom to the cockpit: why XR matters
Most XR use cases we build at Sopra Steria start with a simple question: what if we could train people in a way that’s safer, faster, and more effective? Whether it’s simulating a warzone scenario for defense personnel or walking through a virtual marine vessel long before it’s physically built, we use immersive VR environments to solve real-world training challenges.
Some environments are simply too dangerous, rare, or expensive to recreate physically. That’s where VR becomes a game-changer. We’ve helped organisations in transport, healthcare, and defense shift parts of their learning journeys into fully immersive simulations, cutting costs, reducing risk, and boosting learner confidence.
On the AR side, the need is just as urgent. Many technical industries are facing massive labour shortages. Through AR, we empower technicians to work independently faster. Take a field engineer using Microsoft HoloLens: the glasses recognize the machine in front of them, pull up the correct schematic, and guide the user, step-by-step, through the process. With built-in cameras and remote support features, one off-side expert can support ten technicians in the field at once. That’s the power of intelligent augmentation.
What makes this moment different? AI.
The real breakthrough is the convergence of XR and AI, and Microsoft’s technology stack is at the heart of it. By integrating Azure AI, Microsoft Cognitive Services, and large language models, we’ve moved beyond scripted simulations into dynamic, adaptive virtual environments.
We’re building virtual patients that can have nuanced conversations, reacting in real-time to what the learner says. In the past, scenarios were hard-coded and repetitive. Now, powered by Microsoft’s AI tools, each interaction is unique. These AI-driven agents use speech recognition, natural language understanding, and intent analysis, creating emotionally realistic simulations that help users build critical skills, from triage decision-making to empathetic communication.
We're also seeing significant progress in hardware. Devices are becoming lighter, cheaper, and more intuitive. Tech companies are all working on glasses that seamlessly blend AR, VR, and AI. These tools are no longer isolated experiences, they’re on track to become everyday utilities. You won’t justuse them for training or gaming. You'll soon talk to your glasses like you now type a question into a search engine or an AI agent.
The business case: from prototype to impact
At Sopra Steria, our approach to XR is rooted in software development, only with a twist. We use game engines like Unity, and our processes are agile, collaborative, and grounded in user testing. Building immersive experiences requires thinking differently about user interfaces and storytelling. We're not designing for a screen, we’re designing a world.
What’s next? Multi-Modal, mixed reality for all
We’re entering a new phase. XR is evolving into truly multi-modal systems: AI that understands speech, text, vision, and gesture, all in one experience. In the next two years we’ll see even broader adoption across sectors like education, manufacturing, and field services. The tools will become more accessible, and the use cases more mainstream.
The companies experimenting now are the ones that will be ready when XR becomes standard, which it will.
So, the question isn’t “Is XR relevant for me?” It’s “How fast can I get started?”
Curious what XR could do for your organisation?