From AI to altcoins, 5 burning questions at CES 2025
CES, the world's largest consumer technology trade show, officially kicks off on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Companies from around the world will be showing off the latest advances in artificial intelligence, automotives, robotics, augmented and virtual reality and more.
The annual four-day gathering, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, welcomed more than 4,300 exhibitors and 138,000 attendees last year. The first major tech event of 2025 is expected to have a strong Asian presence, including big names from South Korea and Japan.
One notable group, however, will be largely missing once again: Chinese Big Tech. Geopolitical tensions and other factors have kept China's giants away for a number of years, though smaller Chinese companies still have a strong interest in CES and the U.S. market.
Here are five things to watch for at CES 2025:
Eye on AI
Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly be the main theme of this year's CES and the 2025 tech industry in general. From a buzzword in late 2022, when ChatGPT kicked off the current boom, AI became prevalent in nearly all businesses in all sectors by 2024.
Although there was already some hype around AI at last year's event, CES 2025 is expected to present more real-world applications. CES organizer Consumer Technology Association said artificial intelligence is the fastest-growing category for its annual CES Innovation Awards, with a 49.5% increase in submissions compared to 2024.
Companies big and small will showcase a wide range of AI-powered products, from home appliances to digital health to personal and pet care products. Some of the most highly anticipated unveilings include "emotional companions," next-generation AI laptops, and various (hopefully) more intelligent AI assistants that can help with everything from translating to medical diagnoses.
Chips
While CES started out as a consumer-facing tech fair, chipmakers have become an increasingly high-profile part of the show in recent years, thanks to the AI boom powered by the small but mighty silicon.
Nvidia's Jensen Huang is expected to deliver a keynote at a Las Vegas arena on Monday night. The U.S. chip giant has emerged as one of the earliest and biggest winners of the AI boom and is seen as a barometer for AI demand. Huang will likely update the audience on the latest progress of the company's Blackwell platform. But perhaps more importantly, the high-profile CEO will need to reassure participants and Wall Street that demand for AI chips will remain strong well into 2025 and beyond, as some are starting to question if chipmakers are the only ones making money from all the AI buzz.
AMD and Intel will also host press conferences at CES on Monday. The rival chipmakers are expected to unveil their latest AI PC chips. As former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger announced his surprise retirement in December, interim CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus will deliver the company's speech.
Instead of a flashy keynote like in previous years, Samsung will hold a press conference on Monday. The South Korean giant is expected to focus its announcements on home appliances, not semiconductors, a division that has experienced multiple recent setbacks.
South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix will also exhibit at the show. The company, which has been the supplier of major high-bandwidth memory chips to Nvidia, said it will showcase "next-generation semiconductor technologies which are bringing AI to life"
China's quiet presence
Around 1,400 Chinese exhibitors, mostly small and midsize companies focusing on electronic products, will attend the CES this year, accounting for over 30% of the total exhibitors, a slight uptick from last year.
Lenovo, TCL and Hisense will have high-profile presences at the event. ByteDance, which participated last year, is absent from this year's exhibitor list, though its TikTok subsidiary will again have a booth at the event. Alibaba Cloud and BYD Lithium Battery are back, and Xpeng Aeroht will display its new flying car prototype.
Despite a 100% US tariff on Chinese EVs and the absence of Chinese EV brands in the US market, Zeekr, a Geely subsidiary, is making its strongest CES appearance with three models on display. "In the smart EV era, CES offers Zeekr a platform to connect with tech peers and global investors, boosting its global strategy," a Zeekr spokesperson said.
One month before the fair, the South China Morning Post reported that "many" Chinese companies with CES plans faced visa rejections, citing consultancy iMpact, which noted that half of the 40 companies they worked with experienced issues. However, iMpact founder Chris Pereira later told Nikkei Asia that all those who reapplied eventually secured visas. The initial rejections primarily affected small companies with fewer employees, particularly from Guangzhou, he said.
High US visa rejection rates for Chinese applicants, especially for tourism and business visas, are common, and smaller companies attending CES have faced similar rejections in the past.
With President-elect Donald Trump set to return to office this month with his new tariff threats, some Chinese companies are trying to find more local partners and distributors to build their teams in response to Trump's America First promotion, Pereira said.
Japan and South Korea go big – and small
Participants from Japan and South Korea this year include not only Big Tech. Startups from the countries are expected to shine at Eureka Park, the event's premier space for global startups. No mainland Chinese companies will appear there, though dozens of startups from Hong Kong, partially sponsored by the government-backed Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp., will.
Dozens of Japanese startups will showcase food tech, aqua research, biomass upcycling, electrostatic robotics and more.
Among Japan's big names, Sony is expected to unveil new products and innovations, while Toyota Motor will make a presentation on its Woven City, a prototype smart city. Honda will premiere two prototype models. The Sony Honda Mobility joint venture, meanwhile, is set to unveil an updated prototype of its Afeela electric sedan at the event.
Samsung will showcase a series of products around its theme "AI for All: Everyday, Everywhere," while 15 Samsung-backed South Korean startups will showcase their product lines, from AI and the Internet of Things to digital health and robotics. LG is set to unveil its new TV plans, showcasing its latest innovation packaged as the company's "AI In-Vehicle Experience."
The Trump effect
Crypto, blockchain and the metaverse were all big themes at CES a few years ago, but companies involved with Web 3.0 – a term for a decentralized internet – went quiet at the trade show the past two years as many ventures failed to live up to the hype.
But with Trump coming back to office, the buzz around crypto is returning with a vengeance. And as bitcoin hits historical highs, the underlying blockchain technology and other associated Web 3.0 innovations are regaining some of the limelight at CES 2025.
The Trump administration is set to make crypto and digital assets more mainstream, with less stringent regulations. How blockchain technology can transform the way people bank and interact online and its impact on the global financial system are all set to become a hot topic again in the new year.
Metaverse and fintech startups from around the world are expected to demonstrate their latest web 3.0 innovations at CES 2025, but the world will have to wait and see if the fad has staying power this time.
Source: Nikkei Asia
