CES 2026 Preview: NVIDIA Bets on Embodied AI as Robots Take Center Stage
CES 2026 highlights the strategic divisions among chip giants: NVIDIA shifts its focus to industrial AI and robotics, while AMD and Intel stick to and upgrade the traditional PC market. The exhibition's focus has shifted from consumer electronics to the industrialization race of disruptive hardware such as humanoid robots, AI-defined vehicles, and rollable screens, with manufacturers from China, the U.S., and South Korea competing fiercely in various tracks
The 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be held from January 4 to 9 in Las Vegas, USA. CES has long served as a key stage for technology companies to unveil their annual product roadmaps, showcasing both upcoming commercial products and experimental devices that remain at the conceptual stage and may never reach mass production.
At CES 2026, the strategic approaches of major chipmakers are expected to diverge more clearly than ever, with NVIDIA’s focus shifting away from the traditional consumer graphics card market.
NVIDIA
The highly anticipated RTX 50 Super series graphics cards—including models such as the RTX 5080 SUPER—may face delays due to elevated pricing and supply constraints surrounding GDDR7 memory. CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote is expected to center on “Physical AI,” highlighting the extension of AI computing power into robotics and industrial applications.
NVIDIA appears to be prioritizing higher-margin products, such as the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, which features 96GB of memory, rather than mass-market consumer GPUs.
AMD
AMD is taking a more cautious upgrade strategy. On the desktop side, the company is expected to introduce the Ryzen 9000 series, with the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 featuring a dual-chip 3D V-Cache design and a combined L3 cache of 192MB, targeting workstation-class users.
On the mobile front, AMD is set to release the Ryzen AI 400 series (codenamed Gorgon Point), further strengthening its position in the PC market.
Intel
Intel is entering a critical phase. The company is expected to launch the Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake), which may include around 14 SKUs. The flagship Core Ultra X9 388H is rumored to feature 16 cores with a maximum clock speed of 5.1GHz.
If the platform gains broad OEM adoption, it could help ease market concerns surrounding Intel’s advanced manufacturing process execution.
Embodied Intelligence Battlefield: Insights From the China–U.S.–Korea “Three Kingdoms” Showdown
2026 is widely regarded as a pivotal year for humanoid robots to transition from demonstrations to real-world deployment. Key themes include cost reduction, efficiency improvements, and practical validation.
Chinese Camp: Cost Control and Mass Production
Chinese companies continue to lead in cost optimization and manufacturing scalability. Unitree Robotics is expected to showcase the mass-production version of its G1 humanoid robot operating on factory assembly lines. Zhiyuan Robotics will present its full product lineup, including the X2 and A2 robots, as well as core components such as dexterous robotic hands.
U.S. Camp: Technical Benchmark
Boston Dynamics is expected to debut the all-electric Atlas robot in its first public demonstration, positioning it as a direct competitor to Tesla’s Optimus and highlighting its commercialization potential.
Korean Camp: Industry Chain Integration
South Korea will showcase the “K-Humanoid” alliance, led by Rainbow Robotics, a company backed by Samsung. Exhibits are expected to include the wheeled industrial humanoid robot HMND-01 Alpha, which stands 220 cm tall and carries a payload of 15 kg—underscoring Korea’s ambition to integrate the full industry chain from components to complete systems.
Edge AI and XR: Android’s Counteroffensive and Chinese Manufacturers’ “Lightweight” Breakthrough
Following the release of Apple Vision Pro, the XR market has entered a digestion phase. CES 2026 is expected to mark the starting point of a renewed push from the Android ecosystem.
Samsung–Google Alliance
Samsung is set to debut its Galaxy XR glasses, which won a CES Innovation Award. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 3 chip, runs the Android XR operating system, and is deeply integrated with Google’s Gemini AI—aiming to build an ecosystem capable of competing with Apple.
Chinese Manufacturers: The Lightweight Approach
Chinese companies are pursuing a “lightweight AI glasses” strategy, deliberately avoiding bulky headsets. Alibaba is expected to showcase the Quark AI Glasses S1, powered by the Qianwen AI assistant, while Rokid will focus on practical applications such as real-time translation and AR navigation.
Smart Home
Robotic vacuum cleaners have entered a phase of incremental innovation. Companies such as Ecovacs (X11 Omni Cyclone) and Dreame are no longer competing solely on hardware specifications. Instead, they are pushing devices toward autonomous service agents by introducing cyclone separation systems, GaN fast charging, and advanced obstacle-crossing technologies.
Automotive Industry: From “Software-Defined” to “AI-Defined”
The automotive sector is undergoing a deep architectural transformation, with competition in smart driving chips becoming increasingly defined.
Chip Arms Race
NVIDIA continues to dominate the high-end L4 market with its Thor chip, offering up to 2,000 TOPS of computing power. Automakers such as ZEEKR plan to enter mass production by 2025.
Qualcomm, while trailing NVIDIA in raw AI compute, has successfully entered the supply chains of Li Auto and Mercedes-Benz through the Snapdragon Ride Elite platform, which integrates cockpit and driving functions.
Mobileye maintains a cost-performance advantage in the L2+ segment with its EyeQ6 Lite, securing a strong foothold in mass-produced vehicles.
In vehicle technology, Chinese automakers such as Geely and Great Wall continue to demonstrate architectural innovation. Overseas, BMW is set to showcase the iX3 based on its Neue Klasse platform, integrating Alexa+ technology.
Hardware Form-Factor Breakthroughs
As traditional hardware approaches an innovation ceiling, manufacturers are exploring more radical form-factor changes.
Lenovo is expected to showcase the ThinkBook Plus Gen 7 Auto Twist, featuring an AI-driven rotating display, as well as the ThinkPad Rollable XD, a rollable-screen laptop prototype designed to balance large-screen usability with portability.
In display technology, TCL and Hisense continue to advance Mini-LED solutions. TCL has introduced SQD-MiniLED, while Hisense is showcasing RGB Mini-LED, both emphasizing AI-powered image processing as a new narrative for display innovation.
Article source：Wallstreetcn
