Over recent years, the CES event in Las Vegas has showcased innovative creations like electric salt spoons and MP3 player-integrated Tasers. However, the focus is shifting significantly, with the annual gathering now emerging as a pivotal platform for advancements in artificial intelligence.

The event will commence on January 5 with a keynote address from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Insiders anticipate that Huang will unveil a strategic plan illustrating how Nvidia’s comprehensive technology suite will propel the upcoming industrial revolution, enhancing both generative and physical AI.

“Jensen’s keynote is pivotal for understanding AI’s strategic trajectory,” noted Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “This isn’t just a highlight for those in tech and financial markets, it’s a global focal point.”

He further commented, “This marks the beginning of the consumer AI revolution. AI technology is set to reach consumers worldwide this year.”

He added, “This kicks off the consumer AI revolution. AI technology is coming to consumers globally this year.”

Huang has been attending CES on and off for nearly a quarter century. Last year, he also gave the keynote.

Artificial intelligence investment made up as much as 92% of U.S. GDP growth in the first half of 2024, according to Harvard economist Jason Furman. CES will have an outsized impact this year.

Lisa Su — the CEO of semiconductor designer and developer company AMD — will also keynote. She’s transformed AMD from a struggling chipmaker into a serious Nvidia competitor with a market cap exceeding $200 billion

While AMD holds just a fraction of Nvidia’s market share in AI accelerators, Su is expected to announce new chips aimed at enterprises looking for alternatives to Nvidia’s premium-priced GPUs.

While chips get much of the attention, Huang will emphasize physical AI in his keynote, highlighting how that can extend far beyond robotics to be used in everything from drones to refrigerators.

“Think of it as industries,” one source said. “Healthcare, automotive, manufacturing — Jensen is showing how AI transforms how these sectors actually work.”

To be sure, anything Huang and Nvidia do has outsized economic impact. The company’s market cap is currently $4.6 trillion, nearly exceeding the entire economy of Germany.

With AI-related spending expected to hit $3 to $4 trillion over the next three years, what Huang announces about data centers, physical AI, and robotics won’t just move markets; it will shape how those trillions get allocated.

While the US seems to be a clear leader in artificial intelligence this year, Chinese companies are expected to be well-represented, too.

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The show floor will reflect the shift to physical AI. Hyundai will highlight humanoid robots, Boston Dynamics will demo its latest autonomous systems, and Samsung is unveiling an “AI living ecosystem” that includes refrigerators capable of tracking inventory and anticipating grocery needs. LG, Intel, AMD, and Lenovo are all positioning their hardware as the foundation enabling AI to move from data centers to actual devices in consumers’ homes.

For years, CES showcased technology of tomorrow that often never arrived. This year is about technology that’s already here — and the question is no longer whether AI will transform consumer products, but how quickly.

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