Big Tech embraces Trump's AI agenda at CES
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks about the Vera Rubin AI platform at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 6. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Every year, more than 140,000 people descend on Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show to showcase new tech and discuss partnerships for the year ahead. Typically, the show is politically agnostic. But this year, leaders are leaning into President Trump's AI strategy.
Why it matters: The Biden era saw the White House pitted against Big Tech firms in an effort to rein in misinformation and monopolies. Trump's embrace of the AI industry has been a welcome reprieve for Silicon Valley.
Driving the news: "The Trump administration's Genesis Mission is the launching pad for an American-led AI future," Gary Shapiro, CEO and vice chair of the Consumer Technology Association, said in a statement about what to expect at CES.
- Shapiro told Axios the show is looking to bring more policymakers to CES to discuss the impact of public-private partnerships and AI.
- Several senior government officials spoke at CES on Thursday, including undersecretary for science at the Department of Energy Darío Gil, undersecretary for Economic Affairs at the State Department Jacob Helberg, and undersecretary of commerce for international trade William Kimmitt.
- The government's presence was also visible at the Las Vegas Convention Center. America250, an initiative to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S., hosted a branded Airstream trailer.
Zoom in: One of the biggest speakers at this year's show was Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who unveiled the launch of AI models for autonomous vehicles and new chips during a presentation on Monday.
- "If not for President Trump's pro energy growth agenda, we would have a very hard time growing at all. In order for a new industry to emerge, you need energy," Huang told Bloomberg in an interview at CES.
- Nvidia said in December it would join the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, a federal initiative to build a national AI platform, as a private partner to bolster America's AI dominance globally.
Yes, but: Despite the growing presence of policymakers at CES, dealmaking conversations don't tend to get political, veteran attendees tell Axios.
- "I never found this to be a particularly political environment here, and I've been here since 1998 on a continuous basis," Mark Penn, CEO of agency Stagwell, told Axios.
Between the lines: CES has long been synonymous with flashy gadgets, such as TVs, smart-home devices and futuristic cars. While those were still ubiquitous, the spotlight was on the leaders building the backend innovations fueling AI advancements.
- AMD CEO Lisa Su unveiled new AI processors during a keynote presentation Monday. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon shared the stage with Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing at Lenovo's Tuesday event.
Zoom out: Over the past decade, more industries have flocked to CES as a way to jump-start dealmaking.
- Media and entertainment companies were out in force to pitch ad innovations. Disney announced vertical video on Disney+ and new ad tools. NBCUniversal executives were on the ground to discuss new offerings like contextual targeting in live programming.
What to watch: CES foreshadows Big Tech's own developer conferences, such as Nvidia GTC in March.
