Major Big Tech Leads Event Amid US-China Conflict Expansion
Visa Issuance Restricted for Chinese Participants
Attempts to Block US Tech Info Leakage in AI, Quantum, Space
Prelude to Intensified US-China Tech Competition Ahead of Trump Inauguration
At the beginning of the new year, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition (CES) held in Las Vegas, USA, is once again becoming a stage to showcase that the United States holds the lead in the technology hegemony competition.
According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and the industry on the 2nd, CES 2025 has established itself as a platform that goes beyond a simple electronics exhibition to present the direction of global technology trends. While CES 2024 announced the beginning of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, this year, with AI at the center, quantum, space, and energy transition technologies are joining, aiming to demonstrate that the core of technological innovation lies in the United States.
The United States holds a global advantage in these fields. Key technologies supporting this are expected to be unveiled at this CES. In autonomous driving, fully unmanned systems and advanced AI driving solutions will be highlighted, while in space technology, achievements in private space exploration and commercial space utilization technologies are expected to attract attention. Quantum computing, once considered an unknown technology, is set to clearly demonstrate its development potential on the global stage of CES.
CES is further solidifying its technological leadership by embracing quantum technology this year. Collaborating with the world's largest quantum event, the 'Quantum World Congress,' CES plans to focus on creating business opportunities and practical applications of quantum technology, which is no small matter. Following the momentum set by Google’s 'Willow' chip that has brought the realization of quantum computers closer, the U.S.-led dominance is expected to be clearly showcased.
It is considered quite significant that Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, has taken over the main keynote event that had been vacant for a long time after Bill Gates’ keynote, which used to be the 'main event' of CES, disappeared.
The massive crowds that gathered to hear Gates’ last keynote in 2008 are expected to be vividly recreated. While Gates presented a vision of a digital world that 'integrates' and 'connects' people and the world, Huang is expected to take the CES stage for the first time in seven years since 2018 and present a future vision brought by the convergence of AI and semiconductors.
Another important change at this year’s CES is that it has become a flashpoint for U.S.-China conflicts in the tech sector. Since the dawn of the digital era, CES has been a venue where Chinese companies, following South Korea, opened large booths to showcase their latest products and technologies. This trend was further strengthened as the automotive sector shifted to electric vehicles, which largely dominated CES.
However, at the 2025 event, attendance by Chinese companies will be heavily restricted, making a significant reduction in their influence inevitable. The U.S. government’s proposal to limit visa issuance for Chinese attendees at CES has escalated into a diplomatic issue between the two countries, reflecting how U.S. export controls and technology hegemony policies are impacting CES.
China had shunned CES since 2021 due to COVID-19 and U.S.-China conflicts, but last year, many Chinese companies headed to Las Vegas again. The number of Chinese companies attending CES 2024 was 1,115, more than double the 502 in 2023, recovering to pre-COVID-19 levels.
The Chinese state-run Global Times warned that "if the U.S. pushes for 'de-Chineseization' at CES, it will be difficult for the event to maintain its international status," but the industry believes that the situation will not change given the upcoming inauguration of President Donald Trump. Unlike the U.S., nearly half of the participating companies at last year’s IFA event in Europe, which is more familiar with China, were Chinese companies, illustrating that the technology hegemony competition is centered on the U.S. and China.
Kim Jun-ha, Dean of the AI Policy Strategy Graduate School at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), said, "It seems the U.S. is gearing up to prevent technology leakage ahead of the Trump administration’s launch," adding, "Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, who is in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the new administration, will hold the key and act importantly in the conflict between the two countries."
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