What to expect from the tech industry’s biggest show of the year-amtomessage

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2026-01-02

What to expect from the tech industry’s biggest show of the year

Welcome to 2026. Now rinse out that champagne glass and pop some Advil because the tech industry’s biggest show of the year, CES, kicks off on Jan. 6 under the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Companies big and small will take over the famed Strip and Las Vegas Convention Center, debuting their latest and greatest offerings, and a good helping of fly-by-night products that’ll never see the light of day.

While the show officially begins on Jan. 6, the festivities start a few days earlier with events like CES Unveiled and press conferences featuring Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and AMD (AMD) CEO Lisa Su. And that means you can expect artificial intelligence to be front and center at the trade show.

That will include everything from AI-focused PCs to new chips. But robots are looking like they’ll steal the spotlight in 2026.

“Every year CES has a theme. And sometimes you don’t know what it is until you get to the show, and everybody’s talking about it” explained Kinsey Fabrizio, president of the Consumer Technology Association trade organization, which runs CES.

“But we can tell you right now, robotics is going to be talked about … big time at CES.”

Yahoo Finance will be live and in person in Vegas bringing you all of the latest news and announcements. Here’s what we’re anticipating at CES 2026.

CES has become a kind of battleground for chipmakers and designers to show off their wares to the world right alongside their biggest rivals.

Last year, Nvidia was the talk of Las Vegas when Huang held a keynote in front of a massive audience at the Michelob Ultra Arena, debuting the company’s newest lineup of gaming chips, a desktop-sized AI rig, and a variety of AI software services and platforms.

LAS VEGAS, USA - JANUARY 06:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addresses participants at the keynote of CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 6, 2025. During the presentation, Huang unveiled a range of new chips, software, and services, reinforcing Nvidia's leadership in artificial intelligence computing and its continued innovation across industries. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang addresses participants at the keynote of CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 6, 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) · NurPhoto via Getty Images

This year, you can expect even more from the company that closed out 2025 with a $4.5 trillion market cap. Huang, who is scheduled to take the stage at 1:00 p.m. PT on Jan. 5 will likely unveil new gaming offerings, as well as a host of AI apps and capabilities.

AMD’s Su will then host her own keynote a few hours later at 6:30 p.m. PT, giving that company’s rebuttal to Nvidia’s announcements and providing updates on its own gaming and AI products.

Jim Johnson, Senior vice president and GM of Intel’s (INTC) Client Computing Group, which covers sales of the company’s chips for consumer and enterprise PCs, will also hold a keynote at CES 2026 where he’s expected to provide updates on Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3, codenamed Panther Lake, chips.

The processors, which Intel initially revealed in October, are the first to use the company’s highly anticipated 18A chip technology, and are a key part of its broader turnaround effort.

Qualcomm (QCOM) will also be on hand at CES, with CEO Cristiano Amon set to participate in a fireside chat with Fortune’s Andrew Nusca. Qualcomm launched its Snapdragon X-series processors for Windows PCs during CES 2025 and will likely build on that momentum at this year’s event.

Each of the chipmakers will likely provide insights into their plans to power physical AI systems, a technical term for robots, during the show.

LAS VEGAS, USA - JANUARY 09:
The Snapdragon booth highlights laptops equipped with Qualcomm's cutting-edge system-on-chip (SoC) semiconductor technology, marketed as 'mobile platforms,' during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) — The Snapdragon booth highlights laptops equipped with Qualcomm’s cutting-edge system-on-chip (SoC) semiconductor technology during CES in Las Vegas, on Jan. 9, 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) · NurPhoto via Getty Images

Expect to see humanoid robots on display, as well as a number of robotic arms, AI-powered drones, and self-driving cars scattered across Las Vegas this year, as the industry looks to rapidly advance the technology.

Speaking of cars, CES has become a major showcase for the auto industry’s tech ambitions, and this year will be no different. The show will likely include flying car concepts, a mainstay in recent years, as well as a variety of ways car companies are looking to capitalize on the AI trend by incorporating the technology into their vehicles’ dashboards.

AI-powered wearables and fitness trackers could also make their debut at CES 2026. Those can come in the form of smart rings, glasses, or pins. The smart glasses space in particular has gained plenty of attention with the launch of Meta’s (META) Ray-Ban Display glasses in September, and Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Samsung planning their own smart glasses.

Apple (AAPL) is also reportedly looking to get into the smart glasses game, though the company eschews making an appearance at CES in favor of hosting its own highly polished events at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., throughout the year.

Naturally, there are sure to be some outlandish products at CES 2026. Over the years, we’ve seen everything from smart toilets to forks designed to help you eat healthier foods.

It’s sure to be an interesting show, and Yahoo Finance will bring you all of the biggest announcements as they happen.