At a media briefing on January 6, Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, offered further details on the safety design and real-world operating conditions of the company's newly unveiled autonomous-driving platform, Nvidia Alpamayo, as questions mount over how quickly such systems can move from demonstration to daily use.
As the transformation of the auto industry comes into sharper focus, CES in Las Vegas has quietly evolved from a technology showcase into a bellwether for the global car business. In recent years, CES was often jokingly described as a "world-class auto show," dominated by demonstrations of the industry's shift from internal combustion engines to electric drivetrains. However, starting in 2025, the frenzy of brand and component competition began to cool. By CES 2026, the center of gravity had unmistakably shifted.
At the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman and CEO Chung Eui-sun held a private meeting with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, marking their first in-person encounter since October 2025. The discussion, focused on Nvidia's newly unveiled self-driving platform, Alpamayo, has fueled speculation about the potential expansion of the two companies' strategic partnership.
After departing, Yann LeCun has offered an unusually candid account of why he left Meta, pointing to a research culture he says tilted too heavily toward large language models (LLMs) and away from foundational science.
At CES 2026, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered a keynote that many in the industry described as setting the direction for the next decade. It was not merely another unveiling of chips and platforms. Instead, it marked what Nvidia cast as a turning point for autonomous driving: a shift away from rule-based engineering toward systems centered on intelligence, reasoning, and judgment.
The lights at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) still blaze as brightly as ever. However, for the global auto industry, CES has long ceased to be a mere technology spectacle. It has become a proving ground for something far more consequential: a reassembly of the industry's "soul and body," where control of the future—and the reshaping of business models—is very much at stake.
Small companion robots and specialized hardware from Taiwan took center stage at CES Unveiled, the traditional media preview that sets the tone for the week's exhibitions.

