CES 2026 opens Jan. 6 in Las Vegas with robotics expected to dominate the conversation

The annual technology trade show returns to Las Vegas this month, and robots are expected to dominate conversations on the showroom floor.CES will open its doors on Jan. 6, bringing together thousands of companies at the Las Vegas Convention Center and surrounding venues. But the action begins earlier, with major announcements scheduled for Jan. 5 when chip industry leaders take turns presenting their latest products.Kinsey Fabrizio, who heads the Consumer Technology Association that organizes the event, said robotics will be the main talking point this year.“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,” Fabrizio said. “But we can tell you right now, robotics is going to be talked about … big time at CES.”A proving ground where chip manufacturers compete for attentionJensen Huang, who runs Nvidia, will speak at 1:00 p.m. PT on Jan. 5, as reported by Cryptopolitan previously. His company finished 2025 valued at $4.5 trillion in the stock market. Attendees expect him to announce new gaming products along with artificial intelligence tools and services.Hours later, at 6:30 p.m. PT, Lisa Su from AMD will present her company’s response, sharing updates about gaming and AI offerings.Intel also has a slot on the schedule. Jim Johnson, a senior vice president who oversees the company’s Client Computing Group responsible for selling computer chips, will talk about the Core Ultra Series 3 processors. These chips carry the code name Panther Lake and use Intel’s new 18A technology, which the company first mentioned in October. The processors represent a significant piece of Intel’s plan to turn around its business.Qualcomm’s leader, Cristiano Amon, will join a conversation with Andrew Nusca from Fortune magazine. Last year at CES, Qualcomm introduced its Snapdragon X-series chips for Windows computers, and the company is likely to build on that launch.All these chip makers are expected to discuss how their products will run physical AI systems, which is the technical name for robots. Visitors will see humanoid robots walking around, plus robotic arms, drones powered by AI, and cars that drive themselves scattered throughout Las Vegas during the show.Flying cars remain a big draw at CESThis year will probably feature concepts for flying cars, which have appeared regularly in recent years. Car companies will also demonstrate how they are putting AI into vehicle dashboard systems.Wearable devices with AI could make their first appearance at CES 2026. These might come as smart rings, glasses, or pins. Smart glasses have gotten more attention after Meta released its Ray-Ban Display glasses in September. Google and Samsung are working on their own versions.Apple is also reportedly considering smart glasses, though the company does not attend CES. Instead, Apple holds its own carefully planned events at its California headquarters in Cupertino throughout the year.CES typically includes some unusual productsPast years have featured smart toilets and special forks meant to encourage healthier eating habits.Companies ranging from major corporations to small startups will fill the famous Strip and convention center, showing both serious products and experimental items that may never reach customers. While CES officially starts on Jan. 6, early events like CES Unveiled and press conferences begin days before.Artificial intelligence will appear throughout the show in various forms, from computers designed specifically for AI work to new chip designs that power these systems.