By: Guo Chuyu

Edited by: cc Sun Congying

On the morning of January 6th, as CES 2026 commenced, the Dreame booth, numbered 17726, was thronged with eager onlookers, all captivated by the three 'compact marvels' on display. The standout attraction was the X60 series robot vacuum cleaner, boasting an ultra-slim 7.95 cm frame that effortlessly glided under sofas. Even when confronted with deliberately scattered toy blocks and tangled wires, it navigated around obstacles with millimeter-level precision, avoiding collisions entirely—truly a 'solution-oriented performer'.

Adjacent to it, the bionic six-legged tracked stair-climbing robot vacuum Cyber X confidently ascended stairs, drawing exclamations of awe from the crowd. Meanwhile, the bionic mechanical arm of the Cyber 10 Ultra adeptly picked up remote controls and small blocks, showcasing its flexible organizational skills. Witnessing this spectacle for the first time, front-row spectators eagerly whipped out their phones to capture the moment.

'Wow, this mechanical arm can actually organize things!' exclaimed a European visitor, enthusiastically striking up a conversation with an editor from The Wall Street Tech Eye. Before the Dreame overseas business head could introduce the products, he was bombarded with questions like 'Is it mass-produced?' and 'When will it be available?' He responded emphatically, 'This is a mass-produced model, set to hit European and American stores next month.' The performance of the X60 series robot vacuum also provided a tangible demonstration of Dreame's AI application prowess.

Such AI products with real-world utility vividly illustrate the 'technology application' transformation of China's AI contingent at this year's CES.

Reflecting on CES 2025, AI hardware seemed more like a 'conceptual mishmash.' Among the 362 'CES Innovation Awards' selected by the official website, many products appeared to be mere placeholders, such as AI plant boxes and AI saunas, with a strong sense of technological grafting. The so-called 'AI functions' were limited to automatic temperature adjustments and personalized customizations, essentially remaining traditional smart hardware with AI as a marketing gimmick.

At that time, AIGC technology was still in its infancy, with domestic and foreign giants vying for NVIDIA AI graphics cards and investing heavily in computing power centers. However, behind the hype, tangible results were scarce. Integrating vertical-domain hardware with general-purpose large models required substantial time and funding for training, resulting in a significant gap between technology and application.

Chinese Tech Companies Unveil Their Strategies in Niche Markets

From January 6-9, 2026, the highly anticipated International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a global tech hub, unfolded as scheduled in Las Vegas, USA. This tech extravaganza drew over 4,100 companies from around the world, spanning core sectors such as consumer electronics, artificial intelligence, and smart mobility, serving as a platform for global tech companies to showcase their strengths.

Among them, numerous Chinese enterprises, including Hisense, TCL, Lenovo, and Dreame, firmly established their presence in the core exhibition halls. Most companies displayed their comprehensive product matrices, leveraging solid technical foundations and innovative practical applications to become indispensable tech trendsetters at the event.

The overall exhibition showcased distinct characteristics, with AI application leading the charge in shaping industry trends and Chinese enterprises reshaping the global exhibition landscape.

In contrast to the slogan-driven 'AI for everything' at CES 2025, the 2026 exhibition witnessed a fundamental shift in perception.

Participating companies no longer merely piled up hardware specifications or hyped concepts; instead, they presented solutions tailored to real-life and industrial needs, aligning with CES's nature as a hardware exhibition. These solutions transcended vague technical parameters, precisely addressing core user pain points and enabling AI technology to genuinely cater to user demands.

Overall, companies successfully integrated AI technology with specific application scenarios, effectively resolving user pain points and industry challenges.

Figure: The Dreame exhibition area was bustling with visitors.

Leading companies had varying focuses in their AI endeavors: International giants like NVIDIA and AMD bolstered edge-side computing power, while Samsung and Google emphasized linkage (integration) of computing power with scenario ecosystems. Chinese enterprises forged ahead with robust capabilities, with some focusing on niche sectors to achieve breakthroughs. Hisense and others overcame industry pain points with self-developed technologies, while ByteDance and XPeng Aerospace applied AI technologies across multiple domains to set industry standards.

More notably, compared to five years ago, the exhibition's participant landscape had undergone a disruptive transformation: Chinese enterprises, through continuous deep cultivation in AI core algorithms, hardware R&D, and technical accumulation from over 6,000 global patents, emerged as leaders in multiple niche sectors.

In contrast, manufacturers lacking AI technology iteration capabilities and clinging to traditional models struggled to survive in this tech competition, ultimately fading from the spotlight.

Scenario Deep Dive: Precise AI Technology Application Unlocks Industrial Value Across Three Key Sectors

The value release of AI technology is now centered on deep cultivation in specific scenarios, with the home, transportation, and industry sectors serving as core carriers. Precisely applied technologies in these areas continue to unlock industrial value.

● In the home sector, Changhong made a splash with innovative products such as panda-themed AI home appliances, 100-inch healing AI TVs, AI Air Manager 360° air conditioners, full-space fresh-keeping refrigerators, and AI laundry and care suites. With a unique blend of 'AI technology + Eastern wisdom,' they presented a comprehensive technological innovation showcase.

The anthropomorphic intelligent agent 'Panda Xiaobai' embedded in the AI TV was particularly eye-catching. Its 24-hour all-scenario companionship system allowed users to enter 'Panda Paradise' with a single click, displaying real-time images of pandas eating bamboo and playing on the screen, bringing the bamboo forest ecosystem of Sichuan into the home environment. The AI refrigerator utilized AI cloud moisture retention technology to simulate the humid environment of pandas' habitats, keeping fruits and vegetables crisp for seven days—equivalent to providing a 'fresh bamboo preservation chamber' for ingredients.

Figure: Changhong's 'Panda Home Appliances' garnered significant attention.

● The transportation sector showcased a dual-wheel-driven trend of cabin intelligence and low-altitude technology. BMW unveiled its new-generation models at CES 2026, continuously optimizing its AI panoramic interaction system by integrating high-performance sensors through a new intelligent electronic and electrical architecture, significantly enhancing driving safety and interaction experiences. XPeng Aerospace presented its split-body flying car at the exhibition, featuring an iterative AI decision-making system that leveraged multi-modal perception technology to improve the aircraft's environmental perception and safety control capabilities, pushing low-altitude travel from conceptual exploration to pilot applications.

● In the industrial sector, AI technology accelerated its penetration, with humanoid robots becoming a vital force empowering the real economy. Companies like Zhiyuan showcased inspection and operational robots adapted for industrial scenarios at CES 2026. Among them, exhibits like the Zhiyuan Kuto D1 series quadrupedal robot demonstrated stable, uninterrupted operations with their strong load-bearing and long-endurance characteristics, aiding enterprises in cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Companies like Zhongqing also advanced technology application and scenario expansion in relevant fields such as patrol and inspection. Meanwhile, the home cleaning sector, with its high-frequency and rigid demand attributes, emerged as one of the most mature fields for AI technology application and the highest in commercialization value. The announcement of related mass-produced models and overseas launch plans directly reflected the industrial value of this sector.

With the enhancement of AI technology application capabilities, Chinese hardware companies shed their past 'cost-effectiveness' labels and achieved advancement. Simultaneously, they initiated a global breakthrough battle centered on technology.

AI-Empowered Overseas Expansion: Technological Breakthroughs and Global Market Penetration

However, Chinese enterprises also face three targeted challenges: At the technological level, they must address international competition and iterative pressures on core algorithms; at the market level, they need to adapt to the cultural customs and consumption demands of different countries; and at the compliance level, they must meet diverse data security and industry regulatory requirements worldwide.

The global trade landscape is undergoing a reshuffle, and technological competition is intensifying. After the genuine application of AI technology, the competitive landscape has transformed.

Companies now integrate AI into product development, scenario services, and global operations, shifting from merely selling products to delivering comprehensive solution packages. In the overseas expansion of cleaning home appliances, some companies optimized body designs for targeted markets, supported multilingual intelligent interactions, and adapted to the consumption habits and usage scenarios of different countries.

For instance, Songyan Dynamics, which made a stunning debut at CES 2026, showcased its Xiaowantong N2 humanoid robot in Las Vegas—its second global stop after Paris Fashion Week.

This robot, which had previously secured the runner-up position in a humanoid robot half-marathon and a gymnastics championship, concealed substantial AI capabilities. The N2, equipped with self-developed motion control algorithms, could perform precise walking and dancing movements while supporting secondary development (its sibling model, the E1, simultaneously won the long jump championship, jointly demonstrating Songyan Dynamics' technical accumulation).

Figure: Songyan N2 garnered immense popularity.

At the exhibition, its dynamic demonstrations allowed global audiences to intuitively witness that Chinese robots could not only win awards in competitions but also be applied in practical scenarios such as education and cultural tourism.

Songyan Dynamics directly announced its overseas expansion goals, targeting five core regions including North America, Europe, and the Middle East, planning to achieve thousand-unit-level overseas expansion in the second quarter of 2026. It also established a flexible overseas production and supply system to ensure after-sales support. These examples illustrate that AI can genuinely help Chinese products shed their low-cost image and gain global market recognition through hard power.

However, the AI-empowered overseas expansion path is not without challenges. Firstly, from a technological perspective, some core components and high-end algorithms remain dependent on overseas supplies, with the local technological foundation not yet fully solidified. Based on this, companies are enhancing their technological capabilities to reduce dependency. For instance, in the cleaning home appliances sector, companies have built differentiated competitiveness through self-developed core technologies, with breakthroughs in independent intellectual property rights effectively lowering technological dependency risks.

Secondly, significant differences in user habits exist across markets. For AI products to gain a foothold, they must pass the 'localization' test, addressing issues like multilingual communication fluency and precisely adapting to local practical usage scenarios. For example, the previously mentioned Dreame robot vacuum and Songyan robot achieved multilingual interactions.

More importantly, compliance risks cannot be overlooked. Global regulations on data security and privacy protection are becoming increasingly stringent. Whether it's the EU's GDPR or local data regulations in Southeast Asian countries, they all impose higher requirements on the cross-border data flow of AI products.

For Chinese enterprises, not only must they overcome core technological bottlenecks, but they must also engage in deep local operations and establish comprehensive compliance systems to navigate these challenges successfully.

Looking Ahead Through CES 2026: AI Continues to Land, Reshaping Enterprise Advancement Paths

2026 will be a pivotal year when AI technology truly achieves widespread application. The proliferation of edge-side large models, upgrades in embodied intelligence, and more mature multi-modal interactions will redefine the technological landscape, clearly distinguishing high-quality enterprises from ordinary ones in the industry and providing Chinese enterprises with clear guidance for the future.

In terms of technological trends, edge-side large models will become ubiquitous. Through algorithmic lightweight optimization and computing power enhancements, terminals like smartphones, smart homes, and industrial equipment can now host large models, eliminating the need for cloud-based computing power and enabling on-demand AI services.

Embodied intelligence will also witness significant breakthroughs, evolving from merely perceiving the surrounding environment to understanding scenarios. Through a complete process of perception, cognition, decision-making, and action, it can flexibly adapt to complex environments and self-adjust actions, playing a greater role in factory production, home services, and other scenarios. The scenario adaptation capabilities of related products in the home cleaning sector represent initial applications of embodied intelligence.

Moreover, multi - language and multi - sensory interactions are set to emerge as the core strengths of AI products. By integrating voice, vision, and touch, intelligent devices will be better attuned to users' intentions and more user - friendly, thereby meeting the requirements of the global market.

In terms of product line expansion, numerous enterprises have mapped out well - defined growth trajectories. They begin with a single intelligent product and, through continuous innovation driven by AI technology, gradually expand into multi - category product portfolios and offer full - scenario services. Ultimately, they transform from manufacturers of single products into global tech conglomerates.

From the perspective of core strategic direction, Chinese enterprises are required to make a shift from "product - selling" to "ecosystem co - building" in 2026. This necessitates ongoing in - depth cultivation of AI core technologies. They need to break through the boundaries of product categories and construct autonomous and controllable industrial ecosystems. This can be achieved through technological synergy, integration of the industrial chain, and global collaboration in the fiercely competitive global tech landscape.

From the exhibition booths in Las Vegas to the vast global market arena, the wave of AI applications in 2026 signifies not only technological evolution but also a comprehensive overhaul of enterprise competitiveness.

For Chinese enterprises, strengthening core technologies, leveraging scenario - based applications, and moving towards global ecological objectives are the crucial routes to transition from followers to leaders in the industry. The remarkable performance of AI hardware at CES serves as a prime example of this transformative path. (End)