CES Revives to Pre-COVID Levels After 3 Years... Mobility and AI Take Center Stage in the Great Battle

4-Day Event in Las Vegas, USA from 5th to 8th
Over 3,000 Companies Participating
Focus on Metaverse and Food Tech

[Asia Economy Las Vegas (USA) = Reporter Choi Seoyoon] The world's largest home appliance and IT exhibition, 'CES 2023,' where you can experience the latest technologies and trends in the electronics industry, opens on the 5th (local time) in Las Vegas, USA, for a four-day schedule. This marks a return to normalcy after three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, the event was held online for two years and was shortened to three days last year.

Marking its 56th anniversary this year, CES features nearly 3,000 companies including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Japan's Sony, as well as Google, Apple, and Microsoft (MS). One out of every five participating companies is Korean. There are about 550 Korean companies, the second largest after the United States. Among them, over 350 are small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. The organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), expects the number of visitors to reach a record high of 100,000, an increase of more than 40% compared to last year. The exhibition space is also the largest ever, expanding to 186,000 square meters (about 56,000 pyeong), 1.5 times larger than last year.

The slogan for CES 2023 is 'Be in it,' meaning to join the massive wave of innovation. Key themes of the exhibition include mobility, artificial intelligence, food tech, digital healthcare, and hyperconnectivity. 'Web 3.0' topics such as the metaverse and blockchain are also emerging hot issues. Especially this year, a feast of mobility technologies is expected. Mobility technology is rapidly expanding into autonomous driving and urban air mobility (UAM), attracting not only global automakers but also big tech companies. Google will showcase a vehicle equipped with 'Android Auto,' an operating system for cars, in its exhibition hall.

Forbes stated, "This year's CES will be the largest motor show ever held in the United States," and predicted that the keynote speeches will focus on autonomous vehicles, sustainability, and innovations in in-car entertainment. Among the keynote speakers, two are CEOs in mobility: Oliver Zipse, Chairman of BMW, and Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis. Following them, Lisa Su, Chairwoman and CEO of American semiconductor company AMD, and John May, CEO of John Deere, the first agricultural machinery manufacturer to deliver a keynote speech, will also speak.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is the only head of a top four conglomerate attending. This CES is also his first appearance. He is accompanied by key executives including Chey Jae-won, Senior Vice Chairman of SK On, Choi Chang-won, Vice Chairman of SK Discovery, and Park Jung-ho, Vice Chairman of SK Hynix. Major executives from the electronics industry such as Han Jong-hee, Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Experience Division at Samsung Electronics, Kyung Kye-hyun, President and Head of the Device Solutions Division, LG Electronics CEO Cho Ju-wan, and Ryu Jae-cheol, President of the H&A Business Division, will also introduce new products and hold meetings with external clients on site.