Since its inception in 1967, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has grown in prominence as the annual technology conference that unveils to the world new products in consumer electronics. Now in its 53^rd year, CES 2020 continues the trend of becoming the global stage to showcase tech innovations by all the major tech companies in the world. So, what are the top discussion points this time?

Portable 8TB SSD from Western Digital

In the last year’s CES meet, Western Digital took the tech world by storm by introducing the SanDisk 4TB USB-C thumb drive prototype. Incidentally, the 1TB variant has already been launched for sale and will be ideal for smartphone, tablet and laptop users. This time, the company has unveiled another surprise in the form of SanDisk 8TB SSD (solid-state drive). It will redefine ultrafast speed as it is all set to deliver 20Gbps output through SuperSpeed USB interface. The USP of this device, besides super capacity and super speed, is its portability. It is so small that it can fit right into a pocket. There is, however, still time before buying one as the product is in the prototype stage.

Latest chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm

Faster chipsets are part of continuous development of existing technology that world tech leaders are always fascinated about. All the top companies – Intel, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) and Qualcomm had something to offer at CES 2020.

• Consisting of 64 separate computing cores, AMD is coming out with its latest version of Ryzen Threadripper.
• Intel has Tiger Lake processing chips with improved performance in the pipeline to power the new and faster Thunderbolt 4 hard drives along with developing a separate graphics card chip – DG1.
• Qualcomm is all set to diversify from making chips for mobile phones when it announced its Snapdragon Driving Platform with chipsets that can handle autonomous driving.

Vision-S – electric concept car from Sony

Sony has been a hallmark of quality consumer electronic products over the years. This time, they are out to venture in the unprecedented automotive space by unveiling an electric concept car. Named as Vision-S, with an array of technological innovations of their own, Sony will also collaborate with Blackberry, Magna and Bosch to design this car. With a state-of-the-art EV platform, 33 unique sensors, both exterior and inside, always-on connectivity system, 360-degree audio and a wide range of displays and features, this visionary car is set to resemble the Porsche look. Vision-S is, however, a prototype as of now with no suggestions when it can be expected on the road.

Neon AI from Samsung

Today AI or artificial intelligence is a top trend globally. Everyone gets excited about the concept of virtual assistants and AI applications. But it is time to think beyond the chatbots that people think of when talking about virtual assistant. Samsung subsidiary STAR Labs has unveiled the world’s first “artificial human” Project – Neon. At CES 2020, the innovation leaders talked of making science fiction a reality with the animated avatars and cutting-edge technology that will have multiple applications across industries, like augmented reality (AR) experiences and movies, immersive web and mobile applications to name a few. It has been mooted that with lifelike design and engineered with the strictest privacy safeguards, Neon AI-powered artificial humans could be the future in the service industry working as concierges and receptionists in hotels, waiting in restaurants or being the next-gen store assistants.