CES 2025 Showcases AI Innovations and Infrastructure Developments
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, held in Las Vegas, brought together industry leaders and innovators to discuss the future of technology, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles. Bosses from major companies deliberated on the technological infrastructure needed to foster growth in these sectors.
CES, hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, serves as an annual platform to introduce emerging trends and products. This year’s discussions revealed the necessity of hardware investments, particularly in data centers, to support the rising demands of AI applications.
Bill Briggs, Chief Technology Officer of Deloitte Consulting, highlighted the critical role of hardware in today’s tech landscape, stating, ‘Hardware matters again.’ Briggs emphasized that discussions around hardware had diminished over the past decade but are now resurfacing due to a shift in focus from software-centric to hardware-centric technologies, especially with the boom of generative AI.
As remote work and cloud computing rise, companies are increasingly investing in hardware for data centers, which has led to a healthy buzz in conversations among executives. The demand for advanced graphics processing units is surging, and Briggs remarked, ‘Now there are more and more CEO conversations about the investments needed to be made in hardware to fuel the tech trajectory that we know is coming in the next decade.’
Moreover, data center upgrades will coincide with shifting trends in equipment disposal, especially for firms ramping up data center capabilities. Research in the Nature Computational Science journal warns that if the hardware needs associated with AI are not managed appropriately, it could lead to significant electronic waste.
This week, President-elect Donald Trump announced plans, backed by UAE billionaire Hussain Sajwani, to invest $20 billion into building new data centers across various U.S. states, suggesting a shift towards supporting AI infrastructure.
Battery Recycling Gains Attention
Battery recycling has also gained traction at CES, with Redwood Materials spotlighted during a keynote speech by Panasonic CEO Yuki Susumi. Redwood CEO J.B. Straubel explained their process of recovering critical materials from battery waste and converting them back into usable components for new battery production.
Straubel shared, ‘We’re recycling that material and recovering greater than 98% of the critical materials, like cobalt, lithium, nickel and copper,’ showcasing innovation in battery recycling technology.
Concerns Over Tariffs in the Electronics Market
Amidst the excitement, there are cautions about proposed tariffs on technology products. Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, noted, ‘Tariffs are taxes paid for by American businesses and the American people.’ He suggested that these tariffs could potentially harm consumer purchasing power, impacting both new tech acquisitions and the secondary market for used devices.
Overall, CES 2025 has sparked crucial conversations about the future of technology as AI integration deepens and infrastructure investments increase, indicating a pivotal moment for the consumer electronics landscape.
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