AI dominates CES 2026 as hardware giants unveil new platforms
CES 2026 is underway in Las Vegas, and after several days of press conferences and early previews, the show floor has opened with a familiar theme: AI is again the headline act. While the annual event remains a showcase for unusual gadgets and incremental hardware upgrades, many of the week’s biggest announcements are framed around how generative and on-device intelligence will be embedded into products people use every day—computers, televisions, home assistants, security systems, and even robots and vehicles.
Major presentations from Nvidia, AMD, and Amazon set the tone, with each company positioning its latest releases as building blocks for a broader AI-driven ecosystem. Meanwhile, robotics took a prominent turn through a collaboration involving Boston Dynamics and Google, and consumer brands like Razer and Lego used the moment to preview experimental concepts and new interactive product lines.
Nvidia spotlights Rubin architecture and an AI stack for autonomy
Nvidia used its CES stage to reinforce its status as a central supplier to the AI boom. CEO Jensen Huang delivered a wide-ranging keynote that looked back at the company’s recent momentum while outlining a roadmap for 2026 and beyond, including a transition to its next computing platform.
The company’s forthcoming Rubin computing architecture is designed to address the rising compute and memory demands created by accelerating AI adoption. Nvidia said Rubin is expected to begin replacing its Blackwell architecture in the second half of the year, with performance and storage improvements aimed at training and deploying increasingly large models.
Beyond data-center roadmaps, Nvidia emphasized its strategy of pushing AI into the physical world. The company showcased its Alpamayo family of open-source AI models and tools intended for autonomous vehicles, with plans for adoption by vehicle developers this year. The positioning suggests a bid to become an enabling layer for autonomy—an approach that echoes the company’s broader ambition to provide infrastructure and software that could function as a common platform for general-purpose robotics.
AMD highlights Ryzen AI PCs and a partner-heavy vision
AMD opened CES keynotes with a presentation led by Chair and CEO Lisa Su, featuring a lineup of partners and AI figures, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman and computer vision pioneer Fei-Fei Li, alongside other executives and researchers.
The company’s announcements centered on expanding AI capabilities across personal computing, reinforcing a trend in which laptop and desktop upgrades are increasingly marketed around built-in AI acceleration. AMD highlighted its Ryzen AI 400 Series processors as part of its effort to bring AI workloads closer to the user—enabling features that can run on the device rather than relying entirely on cloud services.
That focus reflects a broader industry shift: as AI features proliferate, chipmakers are racing to make “AI PCs” credible not only through marketing, but through practical improvements in performance, power efficiency, and software compatibility with popular AI frameworks.
Boston Dynamics and Google team up on Atlas robot development
Robotics also drew attention at CES, with Hyundai spotlighting its work with Boston Dynamics. A key detail from the company’s update was that the partners are working with Google’s AI research organization to help train and operate existing Atlas robots, as well as a new iteration of Atlas that was demonstrated on stage.
The collaboration underscores how robotics development is increasingly tied to advances in AI models, simulation, and control systems. By linking a high-profile robotics platform to a leading AI research group, the partnership signals an industry push to move beyond impressive demos toward more reliable, scalable robotic behavior in real-world settings.
Amazon expands Alexa+ and deepens Fire TV and Ring integrations
Amazon arrived at CES with an AI-forward update centered on Alexa+, its next phase for the voice assistant and chatbot experience. The company launched Alexa.com for Early Access customers, enabling browser-based use, and also introduced a revamped app experience designed around conversational AI interactions.
Alongside Alexa+, Amazon discussed updates to Fire TV and unveiled new Artline TVs, both positioned to take advantage of Alexa’s expanded capabilities. The announcements suggest a continued strategy of using AI features to strengthen customer engagement across devices in the home.
On the smart security side, Ring introduced multiple updates, including new fire alert capabilities and an app store concept for third-party camera integration. The move points to a more platform-like approach for Ring, potentially broadening the product’s usefulness while increasing the number of services and integrations that can sit within Amazon’s ecosystem.
Razer previews AI companions and a glasses-like concept
Known for attention-grabbing CES concepts, Razer leaned into the AI wave with two projects. Project Motoko is framed as a smart-glasses-like experience “without the glasses,” while Project AVA places an AI companion avatar on a user’s desk. Both announcements appear aimed at exploring how AI assistants might become persistent, ambient presences for gaming and productivity—though the projects were presented as concepts rather than finalized consumer products.
Lego makes its CES debut with Smart Bricks
Lego made its first CES appearance with a behind-closed-doors look at its Smart Play System, featuring interactive bricks, tiles, and Minifigures that can respond to one another with sound. The debut sets were described as Star Wars-themed, pointing to Lego’s interest in blending traditional play with more connected, reactive elements—without necessarily shifting the experience entirely to screens.
What CES 2026 reveals about the next year in consumer tech
Across the week’s early announcements, CES 2026 is reinforcing several directions at once: AI is becoming a default feature across consumer devices; chipmakers are competing to define what “on-device” intelligence means in practice; and robotics is increasingly framed as an AI problem as much as a mechanical one. While many products shown in Las Vegas will evolve before reaching mass markets, the messaging is consistent: the next wave of upgrades will be measured not only in faster hardware, but in how seamlessly AI is woven into everyday experiences.
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