Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holds a new GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card and an RTX 5070 laptop as he gives a keynote address at CES 2025, an annual consumer electronics trade show, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 6, 2025. “It started with perception AI — understanding images, words and sounds. Then generative AI — creating text, images and sound,” Huang said. “Now, we’re entering the era of “physical AI, AI that can proceed, reason, plan and act.” (PHOTO: NVIDIA)
4,500 Companies from 160 Countries Participated at the Consumer Electronics Show
More than 140,000 people visited CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2025, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, held in Las Vegas from Jan. 7 to 10. As it is an opportunity to look at new products and technology trends that will be released this year by information and communication giants around the world every year, it is also an event where entrepreneurs, investors, and academia from all over the world gather.
The U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA) said the number of participants is up 5% from 135,000 last year, up 17% year-on-year.
The number of participating companies reached 4,500 in more than 160 countries and regions, up 5% from last year when 4,300 companies participated, and more than 6,000 media outlets around the world were also reported.
Among the participating countries, U.S. companies had the largest number of 1,500, followed by China with 1,300, and Korea had the third largest number of companies with more than 1,000. It is the first time in history that the number of Korean participants has exceeded 1,000, up 50% from last year (760). More than 1,300 startups set up booths at Eureka Park in the Venetian Expo, where the startup exhibition hall is located, of which 600 are Korean startups alone.
This year’s CES theme is “dive in,” with a message to connect, solve problems, and discover new possibilities through technology.
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang kicked off CES 2025 with a 90-minute keynote that included new products to advance gaming, autonomous vehicles, robotics and agentic AI, on Jan. 7. AI is advancing at an ‘incredible pace,’ Huang told an audience of over 6,000 at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
“It started with perception AI — understanding images, words and sounds. Then generative AI — creating text, images and sound,” Huang said. “Now, we’re entering the era of “physical AI, AI that can proceed, reason, plan and act.”
Nvidia GPUs and platforms are at the heart of this transformation, Huang explained, enabling breakthroughs across industries, including gaming, robotics and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Huang announced the Nvidia Drive Hyperion AVs platform, built on the new Nvidia AGX Thor system-on-a-chip (SoC), designed for generative AI models and delivering advanced functional safety and autonomous driving capabilities.
“The autonomous vehicle revolution is here,” Huang said. “Building autonomous vehicles, like all robots, requires three computers: Nvidia DGX to train AI models, Omniverse to test drive and generate synthetic data, and Drive AGX, a supercomputer in the car.”
Drive Hyperion, the first end-to-end AV platform, combines advanced SoCs, sensors, and safety systems into a comprehensive suite, already adopted by automotive leaders such as Mercedes-Benz, JLR and Volvo Cars.
Using Nvidia Omniverse AI models and Cosmos, this approach creates highly detailed driving scenarios that significantly expand and improve training datasets for autonomous vehicles. “We are going to have mountains of training data for autonomous vehicles,” he added.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, will build its next-generation vehicles on the Nvidia Drive AGX Orin, running the safety-certified Nvidia DriveOS operating system, Huang said.
“Just as computer graphics was revolutionized at such an incredible pace, you’re going to see the pace of AV development increasing tremendously over the next several years,” Huang said. These vehicles will offer functionally safe, advanced driving assistance capabilities.
Nvidia and its partners have launched AI Blueprints for agentic AI, including PDF-to-podcast for efficient research and video search and summarization for analyzing large quantities of video and images — enabling developers to build, test and run AI agents anywhere.
Huang, hinted that Samsung Electronics will soon be able to supply its high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips to the U.S. AI chip giant. “They are working on it. They’re gonna succeed. No question,” Huang said in a press event on the sidelines of the ongoing CES 2025 in Las Vegas. “I have confidence that Samsung will succeed with HBM. I have confidence like, tomorrow is Wednesday.”
Samsung Electronics has been struggling to have its HBM3E chips pass Nvidia’s quality tests, while its local chipmaking rival SK hynix recently began mass-producing industry-leading 12-layer HBM3E chips. Huang’s comments are in line with the Korean tech giant’s announcement in late October that it has achieved “meaningful progress” in meeting quality testing requirements for a “major customer,” expected to be Nvidia, whose GPUs are essential for AI computing.
Huang also expressed his strong confidence in Samsung Electronics’ achievements in memory history, especially in the HBM field. “I have confidence that Samsung has succeeded,” he said. “Remember, Samsung created HBM. Originally, the very first HBM memory that Nvidia has ever used was from Samsung.”
Huang emphasized Samsung’s potential to overcome current challenges in HBM3E chip development. “They have to engineer a new design,” he said. “But they can do it. They are working very fast. They’re very committed to do it.” HBM is integral to the future of computing, powering Nvidia’s GPUs, which are essential for AI and other advanced applications. Nvidia relies on both Samsung and SK hynix as HBM suppliers.
“As you know, SK and Samsung are two of the largest suppliers to Nvidia,” he said. “I’m very confident that SK hynix and Samsung are excellent companies and excellent memory companies. So I expect them to continue to succeed.”
During CES 2025, the Nvidia CEO Huang met SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, on Jan. 8, and held a meeting with the press. During this event, he discussed his meeting with Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang and shared SK’s vision for its AI business.
“We exchanged various business discussions. I noted that while Nvidia had previously asked SK hynix to accelerate development, SK hynix is now proactively increasing its development speed, creating a competitive dynamic between the companies,” said Chairman Chey. “Nvidia understands computing well and operates by finding the most efficient solutions.”
Reflecting on his third consecutive attendance at CES, Chairman Chey remarked, “This exhibition confirmed that everything is becoming AI-driven. It’s evident that robots and devices around us have integrated AI into daily life.” He further elaborated on SK’s AI business, stating, “Currently, we focus on AI semiconductors, but we are concentrating on finding AI data center solutions, with AI data-related businesses being critical tasks.”
Chairman Chey stressed that South Korea must keep pace in the AI industry, warning that falling behind in AI competitiveness could threaten the nation’s strong industries such as semiconductors, shipbuilding, and steel. He emphasized, “AI is a necessity, not an option. Whether we lead or follow in this comprehensive transformation will determine our economic future.” He also offered recommendations for the development of the AI industry, saying that “Developing APIs specialized for the AI industry is essential, and there is a need for strategic concentration in specific fields.” He mentioned the difficulty in gaining a favorable position in global competition without broad growth in the AI industry.
Furthermore, he underscored the importance of AI infrastructure and education, highlighting the need to cultivate talent capable of consistently utilizing AI and establishing a conducive research environment. Chairman Chey concluded by emphasizing the necessity for self-reliance in pioneering the future, saying, “We cannot depend on other countries; we must do it ourselves.”
Han Jong-hee, co-CEO and vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., on Tuesday expressed optimism about the company’s performance prospect for 2025, driven by artificial intelligence-led innovations. Samsung Electronics released its fourth-quarter earnings guidance, estimating an operating profit of $4.46 billion. While this represents more than double the profit from a year earlier, it fell short of market expectations by 15.7%.
The lower-than-expected earnings were attributable to the lackluster performance of the company’s HBM chips used for AI accelerators. Sluggish sales of home appliances, mobile phones and TVs amid waning global demand and intensifying competition also weighed heavily on the quarterly earnings. “It’s true that the results were below market expectations, but this could be an opportunity for us to take a step forward,” Han said in a press event held at Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas on the sidelines of CES 2025.
He underscored the role of AI-powered solutions in driving growth, adding, “I believe that AI will serve as a momentum for recovery.” Han noted that AI is a key factor in Samsung Electronics’ future strategy, as its AI-driven vision focuses on the integration of smart technologies across its product ecosystem. Its SmartThings platform is at the center of this strategy, offering seamless connectivity between Samsung devices and creating a unified, intelligent ecosystem for homes and other spaces. “We have diversified lineups of mobile phones, home appliances, electronic components and TVs. And all these are consumer goods,” he said. Han oversees Samsung Electronics’ conventional businesses encompassing home appliances, mobile devices and TVs, while co-CEO and Vice Chairman Jun Young-hyun is in charge of the semiconductor division, known as Device Solution (DS).
The unveiling of the LG OLED Evo at CES 2025 showed a significant technology in the evolution of smart TVs. On Jan. 6, LG Electronics announced the introduction of its 2025 model “LG OLED Evo” This new model promises to revolutionize the viewing experience with its advanced features and cutting-edge technology, according to the company..
It is set to be a game-changer in the industry, boasting a maximum brightness up to three times higher than standard OLED TVs. This significant enhancement is achieved through a new brightness enhancement technology that modifies the display algorithm and the organic compound stacking structure. Additionally, the OLED display has received “Perfect Black” and “Perfect Color” certifications from the global certification body UL Solutions, ensuring consistent color representation regardless of screen brightness and ambient light.
The gaming industry has also significantly influenced the development of TV technology. Features like high refresh rates, low latency, and compatibility with gaming technologies are crucial for gamers, explaining why these features are highlighted in the new LG OLED Evo. The ability to transmit high-quality video wirelessly without loss or delay is a significant technological advancement, reducing cable clutter and enhancing the aesthetic and functional aspects of home entertainment setups.
As LG Electronics continues to push the boundaries of technology, the LG OLED Evo TV represents a leap forward in delivering a superior viewing experience. With its advanced AI capabilities, enhanced picture and sound quality, and innovative features, it is poised to set a new standard in the industry. The current status of the event is the anticipation of the official unveiling at CES 2025, with future developments expected to include widespread consumer adoption and potential further advancements in OLED and AI technology. ★
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