“It was the night after New Years,
When all through technology,
no one is sleeping,
Not even the executive.
The new year marks the tech industry’s annual CES trek to Las Vegas, with countless days filled with countless conferences, demonstrations, mind-numbing crowds, sore feet and colds abound yes. Still, CES isn’t just the Consumer Electronics Show of yesteryear. CES represents all facets of technology and is home to many new technologies and companies, which is why we still travel long distances year after year.
Despite some doom and gloom for the tech industry heading into 2023, there’s still plenty of hope to be seen at CES. On the one hand, CES has become the premier automotive technology showcase. As such, Tirias Research expects announcements from a wide range of suppliers for infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous vehicle (AV) systems and new electric vehicle (EV) platforms. We know Ambarella, Mobileye, Nvidia, and Qualcomm will all be in attendance to showcase the latest technology, as well as Tier 1 suppliers like Bosch, Continental, Magna International, and ZF. In fact, almost half of the CES press conferences are usually about automotive and transportation technologies and platforms.
Another area of constant surprises at CES was heavy machinery. John Deere has become a staple of the event, and rightfully so. John Deere is, as CEO John May has said in many ways, a technology company. In fact, John Deere has been selling self-driving tractors for about 20 years and is now adding AI to their attachments. The auto industry could learn a thing or two from heavy equipment companies like John Deere. Last year, Bobcat introduced the all-electric T7X compact track loader. This year, Hyundai Heavy Industries will hold a press conference, which could be interesting considering the company’s investments in artificial intelligence, robotics, electric vehicles, and even hydrogen-powered vehicles. Another heavy machinery supplier, Caterpillar, will follow John Deere’s lead and exhibit at CES.
With the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics, industrial automation has a growing presence at CES. Everything from production and materials management robots to agricultural technology (Agtech) will be on display. Health and medicine is another key area. Products ranging from operating room equipment to home and fitness monitoring equipment will be on display.
There was also a steady stream of startups at the evening media event and at the CES Startup Center called Eureka Park at the Venetian Convention Center. Startups are my favorite part of CES. It’s always amazing to see new products being developed, especially in the ever-evolving processing/AI, connectivity, robotics and sensing technologies. If you can imagine it, I believe it can be built.
Yes, we’re looking forward to the plethora of new consumer products that will be unveiled at CES – PCs, TVs, Monitors, Wi-Fi Routers, Microphones, Audio Systems, Earbuds & Headphones, Drones, 3D Printers, AR & VR Headsets, and all included accessories. AMD CEO Lisa Su will be giving the opening keynote at CES, so we at least expect to hear about new AMD PC products.
The only consumer segment that won’t be is the next wave of smartphones, as most vendors will be making their announcements ahead of MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona in late February. However, there may still be some announcements related to cellular technology.
Still, no matter how fast you walk and talk, it’s impossible to see everything at CES. Trust me, I tried. But it makes the annual trip to CES worth it. My colleagues and I saw more at Forbes’ Tirias Research, who braved another CES.