The heat in Las Vegas is still scorching.

From January 7-10 local time, CES 2025 is in full swing.

In fact, this year's CES venue is even livelier than ever before. This is not merely because NVIDIA's Jensen Huang kicked off the exhibition with a groundbreaking speech that shook the AI world, but also because various AI applications have entered a major outbreak this year. At CES, from humanoid robots to visually stunning large screens, as well as AI applications in healthcare, AI glasses, intelligent driving, and even toys, E-Bikes, and sweeping robots, all incorporate AI functionality.

It seems that all companies have realized they must now be part of the AI trend.

This year, Xia Guang She also participated deeply in CES. Not only did we attend Huang's speech on-site and experience the latest cutting-edge technology, but we also hosted a cocktail party, inviting numerous overseas experts and executives to engage in in-depth exchanges on technology going overseas.

Below, we bring our frontline observations to readers.

It can be said that the entire CES exhibition was geared towards AI.

And the spotlight of AI was firmly on NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang. Before the start of CES, Huang's two-hour opening speech brought people's emotions to a peak. Xia Guang She observed on-site that an hour before the speech began, the entire venue was already packed with participants, with a queue nearly 100 meters long forming at the entrance – it is said that tens of thousands of people watched the speech on-site.

The wait was worth it. In this speech, Huang not only unveiled several new products but also shared his insights on the latest progress of AI.

"AI is developing at an astonishing speed," he declared. At the NVIDIA booth, they also "invented" a word, ACCEVOLUTION (Accelerated Evolution).

In his speech, Huang clearly outlined the path of AI development: first, perceptual AI, which understands images, text, and sound; then, generative AI, which creates text, images, and sound; and now, entering the era of physical AI, which can operate, reason, plan, and act.

We can further comprehend this development from his several assertions:

Current AI can understand information in virtually any modality, encompassing not only text, images, sound, etc., but also amino acids and physics. And it is transitioning from understanding them to translating and generating them.

Artificial intelligence is not merely a new application and business opportunity; more importantly, machine learning driven by Transformers will fundamentally alter the way computing operates.

The ChatGPT moment for general-purpose robots is imminent.

The biggest shock came from incredible technology from China. Chinese automakers such as BYD, NIO, Xiaomi, and XPeng have set industry benchmarks for autonomous driving technology.

NVIDIA GPUs and platforms are at the heart of this transformation, bringing breakthrough developments to multiple industries including gaming, robotics, and autonomous vehicles (AV).

In addition to these, there were even more "thrilling" product launches.

The first product released was the RTX 5090 graphics card. This latest graphics card boasts impressive data performance, with one of its capabilities being able to perform over 335.2 trillion AI operations per second.

To put it simply: with RTX 5090, developers can run AI tasks such as large language models and image generation on personal computers. This allows individual creators and small teams to build their own "supercomputing engine." The significant reduction in the threshold for AI computing may trigger a new wave of grassroots innovation!

The RTX 5090 is priced at $1,999; the RTX 5090D (the RTX 5090 graphics card is not available for sale in the domestic market, only the RTX 5090D with similar performance is available) flagship graphics card starts at 16,499 yuan in China. Additionally, the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 are priced at $999 (starting at 8,299 yuan in China), $749, and $549, respectively. It is said that the 5070, priced at $549, will offer the same performance as the previously $1,599 RTX 4090.

The second stunning product is the Grace Blackwell NVLink72 – a giant chip sample the size of a shield. Huang even held it up and posed like Captain America.

This chip integrates up to 130 trillion transistors and even has the potential to surpass the world's fastest supercomputers. The fundamental purpose of creating NVLink is to target agentic AI. The emergence of this chip may signify that in the era of agentic AI, data center computing power will usher in a new revolution.

Moreover, Huang also presented his masterpiece – Project DIGITS, a product that can be aptly described as a "handheld AI supercomputer."

It is slightly larger than Apple's Mac Mini but can provide computing power comparable to that of a data center. This device is equipped with a new GB10 Grace Blackwell chip and can run AI models with 200 billion parameters, allowing AI researchers and developers to complete model development and inference tasks right on their desks.

For comparison, ChatGPT-3.5 has approximately 175 billion parameters. So Project DIGITS is capable of allowing developers to run ChatGPT-3.5 on their own computers. In addition, its estimated price is $3,000, and it will be available in May this year.

Apart from the above hardware products, Huang also released several important software products.

One is NVIDIA's version of AI Agents – "Blueprint for AI Agents." This is a platform based on the NVIDIA Metropolis system that helps organizations and individuals improve productivity and security. It allows developers to leverage powerful visual perception capabilities to create and analyze video content at a speed 30 times faster than traditional real-time viewing.

Another is Cosmos, a foundation model that enables AI to understand the physical world and accelerates the development of physical AI. This is a set of models specifically built for physical interactions, simulating factory environments, and driving environments. It includes components such as autoregressive models, diffusion foundations, advanced tokenizers, and AI-accelerated data pipelines, which can generate physics-based videos from inputs such as text, images, and videos, as well as combinations of robot sensors or motion data.

The development cost of physical AI models is high and requires a vast amount of real data and testing. The Cosmos World Foundation Model (WFM) enables developers to easily generate a significant amount of realistic synthetic data based on physics for training and evaluating their existing models. They can also build custom models by fine-tuning the Cosmos WFM.

In other words, Huang's ambition is truly grand – he wants to put the world in his chips and models.

Physical AI will bring about tremendous changes to the $50 trillion manufacturing and logistics industries. From cars and trucks to factories and warehouses, moving objects can be robotized and embodied through AI. Currently, companies such as Wayve and Uber have begun using the Cosmos model for their autonomous driving training.

It should be noted that Cosmos is an open-source model and can be downloaded and used from Github.

Apart from the shock brought by NVIDIA, the exhibition was also brimming with AI content, and Chinese AI applications had a strong presence.

Let's start with humanoid robots.

Unitree Technology's robot dog has amazed global tech enthusiasts numerous times. This time, Unitree brought the Go2 robot dog and the G1 humanoid robot.

The G1 humanoid robot is priced at $16,000 and can truly serve as a household robot. With simple training, the G1 robot can handle household tasks such as cleaning and making breakfast, freeing up your hands and enabling a more convenient life.

On-site, G1 interacted with the audience, shaking hands with them.

Domestic robot company Fourier Robotics exhibited the GR-2 humanoid robot. It has 53 degrees of freedom throughout the body, a single-arm motion load of 3kg, a battery life of two hours with a new battery swap solution, and is equipped with a 12-degree-of-freedom self-developed dexterous hand and second-generation actuator.

Of course, many humanoid robot parts companies also came to the exhibition. LiDAR company RoboSense showcased its second-generation dexterous hand with 20 degrees of freedom; Xingdong Jiyuan released the XHAND1, a newly defined humanoid five-finger dexterous hand for AI researchers. XbotPark, a leading startup incubator focused on robots and smart hardware, showcased more than 30 incubated startups and their supply chain platforms at CES this year. Additionally, XbotPark displayed a series of groundbreaking projects, such as the PETPA multi-pet feeder, which won the CES 2025 Innovation Award, the LOOI robot that can transform a smartphone into a desktop robot, the SPARKY robot dog inspired by bionics, and the RheoFit A1, the world's first intelligent rolling massage device, among others.

Furthermore, AI glasses have become a new focus for Chinese entrepreneurs. TCL's subsidiary Lei Bird Innovation released its latest Lei Bird V3 AI shooting glasses at CES this year. The product utilizes the industry-leading Snapdragon AR1 chip and integrates the Tongyi Qianwen q custom large model, demonstrating impressive shooting performance. It also introduced the so-called world's first mass-producible surface relief grating etched light waveguide "RayNeo Light Waveguide."

Lei Bird V3 AI shooting glasses

Overseas users experience the Lei Bird V3 AI shooting glasses

The Rokid Max Pro smart glasses, a collaboration between Baidu and Rokid, were also unveiled at CES. The glasses have an appearance almost identical to ordinary glasses but can achieve intelligent voice interaction, information inquiry, and other functions with the help of Baidu's ERNIE Bot large model, providing convenient services.

Rokid Smart Glasses

The INMO AR Smart Glasses launched by INMO Technology can provide various interesting applications such as real-time navigation and photo translation.

XREAL, a Chinese company, made its offline debut at CES this year with its latest XREAL One series of AR glasses. Officially released on December 5, 2024, these smart glasses are touted as "the world's first consumer-grade AR glasses that support native 3DoF." XREAL also collaborated with BMW to showcase the application of AR technology in vehicles, bringing a new perspective to intelligent driving and entertainment.

XREAL One Series AR Glasses

As the earliest brand in China to mass-produce and release AI glasses, Shanji also unveiled its high-end sub-brand loomos and loomos AI glasses at CES, targeting the overseas market. The loomos AI glasses support capturing memorable moments with 4K photos and 1080P videos and feature open high-fidelity audio for music and calls.

loomos AI Glasses

According to statistics from market research firm RDI, products with AI functions accounted for less than 20% of the Chinese smart glasses market in 2024. However, by 2025, AI functions are expected to account for over 60% of sales in the smart glasses market. Walking through the AI glasses exhibition area, we strongly felt that AI glasses have become the new trend in the smart wearable device market, and Chinese companies are beginning to show a leading edge in this field.

AI in healthcare was also a significant highlight at CES this year. It is understood that there were nearly 50 themed sessions on the health industry at CES this year, and 94 related products received CES Innovation Awards. In the exhibition area, Abbott showcased its consumer-grade wearable device, Lingo. Users wear the biosensor on their upper arm, and the product can accurately monitor blood glucose levels, transmit the data to an app in real-time, and then the app interprets individual real-time responses to factors such as food intake, exercise, and daily stress based on the feedback data, providing health management suggestions.

SHANMU's Groundbreaking Product

Among the wearable devices showcased at the event, the RingConn smart ring from Jiuzhi Technology, a domestic startup founded by esteemed Shanghai Jiao Tong University professor and Changjiang Scholar Wang Guoxing, stood out. Like other smart rings, RingConn is easy to wear and convenient for monitoring. However, it goes a step further by utilizing cutting-edge technology to achieve low-power, sustainable multi-indicator monitoring, ensuring health data is both comprehensive and accurate.

Introducing RingConn

Moreover, several products that were once familiar have now been reinvigorated through the integration of large AI models, offering brand-new experiences. Urtopia's first ChatGPT-enabled electric bicycle, exhibited at CES, is a prime example. This bike supports voice interaction; if the user expresses fatigue, it will automatically adjust the motor to assist them or suggest the nearest restaurant.

Urtopia's ChatGPT-Powered Bicycle

Zhang Bo, CEO of Urtopia and a cycling enthusiast, shared that in the Netherlands, where the bicycle culture is prevalent, 50% of bicycles sold are electric-assisted, with a similar trend observed in Germany and Northern Europe at 30%. Additionally, Ling.ai, a company specializing in spatial intelligence, unveiled Ling! (affectionately known as Xiaofang) at CES. Designed for children aged 3 to 12, Ling! is a portable AI companion that integrates learning, companionship, and growth tracking. Through role-playing, interactive stories, light games, and other engaging formats, it fosters immediate learning, enhances creative problem-solving skills, and inspires a passion for exploration.

Ling.ai's Innovative Booth

Furthermore, PLAUD NOTE, an AI hardware device focused on mobile phone-assisted recording, has emerged as one of the most successful AI hardware products this year, with shipments exceeding 100,000 units. It was also featured at this year's CES.

PLAUD NOTE: Revolutionizing Recording

Another highlight of the exhibition was Looi, a device that transforms your mobile phone into a smart robot. Gaining popularity this year and endorsed by Elon Musk, Looi employs a bionic behavior system to constantly sense the user and their surroundings. Connected to ChatGPT, it enables dialogue-based interaction and displays expressive graphics on the mobile phone.

Exploring the Future with Looi

The exhibition also showcased numerous sci-fi-inspired cutting-edge products. XPeng Huitian presented its modular electric flying car, dubbed the "Land Aircraft Carrier," while WAYMO exhibited its autonomous vehicles. Lenovo, too, introduced the world's first rollable screen PC, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6. With a simple touch of a button or gesture, the compact 14-inch display extends vertically to a spacious 16.7-inch screen, providing nearly 50% more screen space.

Comparing Screen Sizes: Before and After Expansion

Robot vacuum cleaners have also undergone significant innovations this year. Stone Technology's robot vacuum cleaner now features arms that can pick up scattered socks while sweeping, neatly organizing them into a storage box.

Stone Technology's G30 Space Exploration Edition

For two consecutive years, the number and scale of Chinese exhibitors at CES have increased, solidifying China's presence as a formidable force in the global technology landscape. Chinese companies continue to showcase the charm and responsibility of China's "intelligent" manufacturing on the world stage.

Navigating CES: A Revival of Hardware Companies

Walking through the CES exhibition, one is struck by the explosion of AI over the past two years, which has revitalized many hardware companies. While some innovations, like AI glasses that fuse real and virtual images, solve practical problems like navigation and real-time translation, others, such as AI-driven kitchen appliances and pet toys, may not yet have tapped into genuine needs.

AI is also imbuing devices with emotions. The products on display at CES touch every aspect of life, and AI not only provides functions like voice dialogue and interaction but is gradually giving them emotions. With enough patience, these products can better understand users, fostering greater trust.

In essence, the development of AI is designed to enhance human production and life, not replace it.

Moreover, Chinese companies at CES are presenting a more international face. Many are no longer solely focused on product sales but are prioritizing brand building, establishing service networks in overseas markets, and interacting with local customers. In many booths, it's hard to discern that the companies are Chinese, with international product designs and foreign presenters who proactively offer communication in Chinese or English.

Two years ago, domestic AI companies were struggling for survival. Today, however, CES attendees are brimming with confidence in the future of AI, with many believing that 2025 will witness remarkable AI advancements.

In a rapidly changing world, going global is the key to true growth.