CES 2024: Chinese Firms Take Center Stage Upon Their Return, AI Rules Every Domain

Credit: CFP

LAS VEGAS, January 15 (TMTPOST) –CES 2024 resurged from the doldrums during the pandemic, with renewed enthusiasm evident among exhibitors, attendees, and investors.

Chinese exhibitors made a robust comeback, contributing to the event's liveliness. With over 150 countries and regions represented by over 4,000 exhibitors and more than 130,000 participants on day 1, the global interest in CES was on the rise. Over 1,000 Chinese enterprises constituted a prominent presence at CES, highlighting the formidable influence of Chinese technologies and production.

Wu Bin, Senior Vice President of Rayneo, noted a significant contrast from the past two years, where the number of attendees and exhibiting companies, particularly those from China, was much lower. Wu sensed a bustling atmosphere, with a hike in daily interactions and visists from foreign attendees, reflecting a curiosity about the technological progress achieved by Chinese companies in the past three years. “This year’s CES is amazingly vibrant,” he remarked.

CES, as a bellwether for the consumer electronics industry, showcased the development of artificial intelligence (AI)'s large models and extended reality (XR) among other technologies, and the revival of the consumer electronics industry amid a perceived downturn.

The development of AI large models presented an opportunity for a comprehensive transformation of the entire consumer electronics industry. From discussions with various exhibitors, it became clear that the resurgence in consumer electronics was met with optimism. The application of emerging technologies, particularly AI and large models, exceeded expectations, instilling confidence throughout the industry chain.

Personal computer (PC) manufacturers are riding the wave of the AI-based innovations, as shown by a range of AI-equipped devices in CES 2024. The integration of AI into PCs is poised to redefine the PC landscape. Industry leaders such as Lenovo showcased a diverse range of AI-powered PCs, marking the beginning of what experts predict as the "AI PC era,” a researcher told TMTPost. The Chinese PC market outlook remains positive, with expectations of steady growth over the next five years, according to IDC.

Regarding the development of AI PCs, Liu Jun, the Executive Vice President of Lenovo Group and President of Lenovo China, believes that just as "miniaturization and graphics" and "networking and mobility" brought two waves of technological innovations to the PC industry, the breakthrough in AI technology will usher in the third wave of technological transformation in AI PCs, smartphones, AIoT, and all other intelligent consumer product domains, reshaping the consumer experience and industry ecosystem.

At CES 2024, Lenovo Group showcased more than 10 AI PC models. The Yoga Pro 9i and Yoga 9i two-in-one devices are equipped with Intel Core Ultra processors and Lenovo AI chips. The entire series features the Yoga Creator Zone generative AI software, which can transform text-based descriptions or sketches into images without requiring any complex prompts, code, or settings. Users can input any desired content, and the system can generate the corresponding visual images. Both models are equipped with Copilot buttons for quicker access to daily AI assistance.

IDC predicted that by 2024, over 70% of devices in the Chinese market will feature AI functionality, and AI devices will constitute 55% of the market. Wang Jiping, a Vice President of IDC China, pointed out that distributed AI deployment will make AI ubiquitous in electronic devices, increasing the AI penetration.

As the central hub of CES, Central Hall continues to host major companies and showcase cutting-edge products. This year, a notable shift occurred with XR and Metaverse exhibitors gathering here, signaling a resurgence of mainstream attention to the XR industry.

Over 350 global XR companies participated in CES 2024, ranging from manufacturers to upstream optical solution providers. Central Hall featured the presence of domestic companies like XREAL and Thunderbird.

Although Apple didn't participate in CES, the announcement of Apple Vision Pro's availability in all U.S. Apple stores by February 2 added confidence to exhibiting XR companies, drawing attention from investors keen on industry developments. Apple Vision Pro was released last year.

Counterpoint's latest global XR (VR/AR) forecast predicts a historic high with a 39 million unit shipment increase in XR headsets in 2024. AR is expected to grow by 54%, ending a three-year decline. Analysts has anticipated Apple's entry into the XR market as a watershed moment.

The XR industry has regained high attention, driven not only by Apple Vision Pro but also by the upstream supply chain and chip manufacturers like Qualcomm, who have shown significant interest in this market. This has accelerated the entire industry chain's iteration. The infusion of AI capabilities, coupled with increased playability and enhanced experiential scenarios, is another contributing factor.

Zhao Siquan, an IDC China Senior Analyst, pointed out that the major trend in ARVR products at this year's CES is the introduction of AI large models. Glasses, serving as an excellent carrier for AI large models, will witness an upgrade in various application experiences, particularly in areas such as life assistance, navigation, and more, showcasing significant advancements compared to previous-generation products.

Display technologies were also in the spotlight, with major brands having larger screens and higher display quality. Brands like Hisense, TCL, and Skyworth showcased their latest TV products, featuring advancements like 100-inch curved screens, Mini LED, OLED transparent displays, and Micro LED.

Leading panel manufacturers like BOE and Visionox showcased their latest technologies, emphasizing the integration of advanced display solutions into end products. BOE focused on showcasing technologies such as Oxide, 8K, BD Cell, MLED, OLED, along with a variety of in-car display products and solutions. BOE's large-sized Oxide smart cockpit made its global debut at this exhibition. On-site, BOE also presented the 45-inch 8K borderless smart screen developed in collaboration with Geely's Galaxy E8. With a width of 1.13 meters, a thickness of less than 10 millimeters, and a screen-to-body ratio of 98%, it is equipped with AI large models, enabling AI voice chat, AI rhythm, and an AI time engine.

Visionox brought a 260Hz ultra-high refresh rate OLED, a comprehensive solution for 3D under-display cameras, flexible AMOLED dynamic curved in-car applications, and a integrated solution for flexible AMOLED in-car human-machine interaction (HMI). TIANMA introduced a 1.63-inch ultra-high PPI active Micro-LED display and a car-grade dynamic curved OLED display.

As car screens become more prevalent, panel manufacturers demonstrated products related to intelligent cockpits. Larger screens, personalized experiences, and ultra-high-definition displays will be in the vouge, amid the rapid development of the smart automotive industry.

CES 2024 witnessed the launch of innovative products such as Jackery's solar-powered Mars robot, integrated car tent solutions, and LG's AI Agent—a household assistant robot. Unitree Robotics introduced a humanoid robot capable of walking on rough terrain, lifting irregular objects, and quickly recovering balance after external forces.

The four-day CES exhibition concluded last Friday, but the pursuit of technological innovation continues. This year's CES has instilled confidence in the consumer electronics industry, propelled by the rapid iteration of AI technology. However, amidst the vast venue and prominent booths, many smaller Chinese enterprises, though currently with a notable gap in innovation and scale compared to major brands in Central Hall, contribute to consumer electronics innovation. They represent a part of China's innovation force and hope to consistently bring forth more innovative products.

For the organizers of CES, these small and medium-sized innovative enterprises, although not widely recognized, deserve proper guidance and organization. In the Westgate area, home to small businesses from China and South Korea, the lack of official guidance has resulted in minimal foot traffic, with some attendees unaware of this exhibition area. Some exhibitors even complained about the lack of international visitors despite their high costs for pariticipating the events.

While innovations abound, it is essential to set a standard for each product category. Rather than focusing solely on AI features, the emphasis should be on expanding unique user scenarios without compromising existing user experiences.

Looking ahead to next year's CES, TCL, as the largest Chinese exhibitor by exhibition area occupying a core position in Central Hall, plans to increase its budget and exhibition area by 50%, surpassing 2,000 square meters after taking over Nikon's booth.

However, many attendees complained that the CES organizers should have improved network services. The internal network at the exhibition venue was often disrupted, and the Wi-Fi speed was “chronically slow,” some told TMTPost. Even the premium paid Wi-Fi service, priced at over a hundred yuan (US$ 14）, failed to ensure a dependable speed.