Las Vegas' spectacular Sphere gets two siblings by 2030

It is spectacular both inside and outside, enabled by LED display technology, and soon more people will be able to experience it when Sphere expands to Abu Dhabi and Maryland.

We wrote about the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Sphere in 2023. At 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, it features the world's largest LED screen, curved around the interior with 16K x 16K resolution, 164,000 beamforming speaker, and '4D' effects including haptic seats, wind and fog machines.

The exterior LED screen runs 24/7 and has become a staple of Las Vegas, while the venue inside hosts immersive cinema experiences, live concerts with LED-based visuals, keynotes and more.

It is the same LED technology making its way into high-end cinemas, with Samsung, Sony and LG hoping to replace projectors with LED screens capable of bright, colorful HDR experiences similar to high-end TVs – just on a much larger scale.

 Also read: Samsung brings 4K 120Hz HFR to cinemas with new LED screens


Two more Spheres announced
CEO James Dolan has previously stated that the goal is to build a "global network of Spheres", and two additional venues have now been announced.

The second Sphere will open on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, towards the end of 2029, near the Formula 1 circuit. It will be largely identical to the one in Las Vegas, with a seating capacity of up to 20,000, a 16K x 16K LED screen inside, 167,000 speakers, and an exterior LED screen running 24/7. The cost is expected to fall to around $1.7 billion.


The third Sphere is planned for National Harbor in Maryland, USA, and will be a "mini" Sphere with a reduced seating capacity of 6,000, but still a 16K x 16K LED screen thanks to advances in LED technology. It will retain the '4D' effects and the exterior screen, but it will not operate overnight. It is targeted for 2030.

The Sphere concept has also been explored for London, UK, and Hanam, South Korea, but no concrete plans have been announced.