Retail Asia 2018 JunJuly2018 | Page 67

PREVIEW 13-15 June 2018 Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), Shanghai, China www.cesasia.cn Artificial Intelligence takes centre stage at this year’s CES Asia LEADERS from Alibaba AI Labs, Alibaba’s in-house R&D department, and smart intuitive vehicle maker Byton will deliver keynote addresses at the upcoming CES Asia 2018, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced recently. Miffy Chen, general manager, Alibaba AI Labs and Byton co-founders, Carsten Breitfeld and Daniel Kirchert, will take the CES Asia keynote stage to make major company announcements and share their visions for the future of innovation through artificial intelligence (AI) and vehicle technology. “Alibaba AI Labs and Byton are global brands that embody the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of our industry,” says Karen Chupka, executive vice-president, CES. “These industry visionaries have taken their respective companies to new heights through their leadership, creativity and passion for innovation. They are driving the expansion of technology into new areas such as smart cities, artificial intelligence, machine learning and more, which is what CES Asia is all about. We are all very excited for them to take this international stage.” Gu Weihao, general manager, Baidu Intelligent Vehicle and Zhang Chen, CTO, JD.com presented at last years CES Asia. The conference featured more than 40 conferenc e sessions and keynotes last year. Moving with the times CES Asia 2018 will showcase technology spanning 20 product categories improving lives around the world. It is expected to draw more than 40,000 in attendance. A curated show for global brands and cutting-edge start-ups, some 500 companies with the latest in AI, augmented and virtual reality, audio/ video, connectivity, digital health, vehicle tech and more will exhibit on the show floor. A brand-new category for this year, CES Asia will feature more than 35 exhibitors in the AI product category. The vehicle tech category will be the largest to date, with more than 50 companies on the show floor. Alibaba AI Labs and Byton will be exhibiting along with other notable exhibitors: 360, 3M, Allwinner, ARM Ecosystem Accelerator, Audio-Technica, Baidu, Bose, BYD, Changhong, Continental, Desay SV, Digital China, DJI, Fossil/Misfit, Garmin, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Haier, Hanergy, Harman, Hisense, Honda, Huawei, Hyundai, iFLYTEK, iQIYI, JD.com, KIA, Konka, Leapmotor, Lenovo, Libratone, LifeProof, LG Electronics, Microsoft for Startups, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive, Monster, NavInfo, Neusoft, Onkyo, OnStar/Cadillac, OtterBox, Samsung, Singulato, Skyworth, Sogou, Soling, Sugar Lady, Suning, TCL, United States Postal Service and Wacom. Uncovering unicorns Additionally, the CES Asia 2018 Startup Park will boast the largest exhibition since its inception, with more than 100 of the most innovative exhibitors from across the world expected to showcase their latest technology. Returning for the third year to CES Asia, the Startup Park is anticipated to grow 33% from last year with start-ups from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, China, Nordic, Poland, Switzerland and Taiwan. John T Kelley, senior director, International Programmes and show director, CES Asia, said: “Startup Park attendees will experience the next generation of breakthrough technologies drawing some of the world’s best and brightest start-up communities, and even possibly witness the birth of the next ‘unicorn’!” To honour those with the greatest potentials to lead future investment and technology development trends, TechNode will present a new awards programme, CES Asia Startups Awards. TechNode’s founder and CEO Lu Gang, explained: “CES Asia Startups Awards will showcase start-ups with breakthrough technology, and discover the true force of innovation from China and around the world.” ra Retail Asia June/July 2018 79