Las Vegas has at all times been a metropolis of goals, however final week at CES 2026, the dream everybody was pitching is Synthetic Intelligence. It’s in every single place—embedded in our automobiles, operating domestically on our laptops, and even managing our security. But, as I stroll the ground of the Las Vegas Conference Middle, the dialog usually shifts from the dazzling prototypes to a darker actuality: the skyrocketing price of elements. Whereas the innovation on show is breathtaking, significantly from corporations like AMD and Lenovo, the specter of DDR5 reminiscence pricing is casting a big cloud over what needs to be a celebratory occasion.
AMD: Executing on the AI Promise
I’ve adopted AMD for many years, and I’ve to say that Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su continues to impress. She embodies the most effective competence that when outlined IBM, and her keynote this week was a masterclass in execution. Whereas AMD lacks a CMO to really amplify their message at occasions like this, their product stack speaks for itself.
In her opening keynote, Dr. Su unveiled the Ryzen™ AI 400 Collection and Ryzen AI PRO 400 Collection, constructed on the “Zen 5” structure. These aren’t simply incremental updates; with as much as 60 TOPS of NPU efficiency, they exceed Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC necessities. That is crucial as a result of it strikes AI processing from the cloud to the machine, making certain higher privateness and latency.
For the players—and I do know a lot of you might be in search of this—the brand new Ryzen™ 9850X3D is now the quickest gaming processor in the marketplace. By using 2nd Gen AMD 3D V-Cache™ know-how, they’ve managed to squeeze out huge efficiency beneficial properties. On the information heart aspect, the Intuition MI400 Collection, led by Helios, creates a blueprint for yotta-scale compute. It’s clear AMD isn’t just taking part within the AI race; they’re supplying the engines for it.
HP: Safety and the Hybrid Office
HP’s presence this 12 months felt extra grounded however equally important. Following up on the HP Safety Summit I attended final month, HP is doubling down on the concept AI must be safe to be helpful. Their new EliteBook lineup integrates AI not only for productiveness, however for energetic risk protection.
Essentially the most intriguing announcement from HP, nevertheless, was a totally new type issue: the HP EliteBoard G1a. This machine is basically a robust PC constructed totally inside a glossy, compact keyboard. You merely join it to a monitor and mouse, and you’ve got a full desktop expertise you can simply slip right into a bag. It’s a daring rethinking of the normal desktop, excellent for the hybrid work period. HP additionally emphasised safety with their HP Wolf Safety suite, now enhanced with AI to detect and neutralize threats in real-time.
What stood out to me was their concentrate on belief. In an period the place “deepfakes” and AI-generated phishing have gotten rampant, HP’s Wolf Safety enhancements are a essential layer of armor. They aren’t chasing the flashiest client devices this 12 months; they’re constructing the fortified infrastructure that enterprise purchasers desperately want. It’s a good, albeit conservative, play that aligns with their power within the industrial sector.
Lenovo: The King of Imaginative and prescient
If most distributors at CES 2026 have been pitching merchandise, Lenovo was pitching a future. Their occasion on the Sphere was, frankly, the spotlight of the week. Whereas distributors like Intel and Microsoft remained considerably imprecise, Lenovo jogged my memory of the IBM of previous—vision-oriented and unafraid to steer.
Lenovo is transferring past simply “making PCs” to making a complete “AI overlay.” Their new answer dynamically chooses the most effective AI engine for any given job, a function that’s distinctive out there. This creates a seamless expertise the place the know-how fades into the background, and the utility involves the forefront.
Essentially the most eye-catching of their ideas was the ThinkPad Rollable XD Idea. This laptop computer encompasses a display that may unroll to offer a a lot bigger workspace, providing the portability of a typical laptop computer with the display actual property of a desktop monitor. It’s a glimpse right into a future the place our gadgets can bodily adapt to our wants. Lenovo’s keynote additionally highlighted their imaginative and prescient for a private AI hub that connects all of your gadgets, making a seamless and clever ecosystem across the person.
Essentially the most compelling announcement was Venture Maxwell, a private security and digital twin know-how. As somebody who has had shut calls with violence—together with a virtually deadly incident at an unlawful get together and an assault in a park—I can not overstate the worth of this know-how. Venture Maxwell makes use of AI to grasp the context of your environment. It may determine aggressive habits in a bunch of youngsters or provide you with a warning to a risk earlier than you even sit down at a picnic bench. This isn’t nearly productiveness; it’s about retaining you and your family members secure. It’s the basis for a private digital twin that appears out for you, and it arguably makes Lenovo the chief in AI options throughout smartphones, PCs, and edge gadgets.
The DDR5 Pricing Cloud
Regardless of these developments, we can not ignore the elephant within the room. DDR5 reminiscence costs are astronomically excessive proper now. The demand for high-bandwidth reminiscence in AI information facilities—like these powered by AMD’s new Helios MI400 racks—is squeezing the availability chain for client elements.
Builders and lovers are discovering that the associated fee to construct a brand new AI-ready PC is ballooning. It casts a shadow over the occasion as a result of whereas the processors are prepared for the mass market, the reminiscence required to run them is priced for the enterprise. It’s a bottleneck that would decelerate the adoption of those unimaginable new AI applied sciences within the client area for the remainder of 2026.
Developments and Keynotes
The general pattern at CES 2026 is the shift from “Generative AI” to “Agentic AI.” We’re transferring from chatbots that write poems to brokers that take motion—reserving appointments, securing your property, or optimizing your automotive’s vitality utilization.
Lenovo’s “flip the script” technique is a key a part of this. Very similar to IBM within the Eighties, Lenovo is starting to pressure know-how suppliers to ship what their clients need, fairly than simply accepting customary elements. This was evident of their information heart bulletins, the place they showcased methods which might be much more energy-efficient—a crucial requirement as AI energy consumption turns into a worldwide concern.
Wrapping Up
CES 2026 has confirmed that the business is able to transfer AI from a novelty to a necessity. AMD is offering the uncooked horsepower, HP is securing the perimeter, and Lenovo is offering the imaginative and prescient and the non-public security purposes that can really change lives.
Nonetheless, the business faces a tough 12 months forward with part prices. The merchandise are superb, however till the availability chain for DDR5 stabilizes, the “AI PC” revolution would possibly stay a luxurious for the few fairly than a instrument for the various. It was a present of unimaginable highs and costly lows, however one factor is for certain: the long run is right here, and it’s watching out for you.
As President and Principal Analyst of the Enderle Group, Rob supplies regional and international corporations with steering in find out how to create credible dialogue with the market, goal buyer wants, create new enterprise alternatives, anticipate know-how modifications, choose distributors and merchandise, and follow zero greenback advertising. For over 20 years Rob has labored for and with corporations like Microsoft, HP, IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Gateway, Sony, USAA, Texas Devices, AMD, Intel, Credit score Suisse First Boston, ROLM, and Siemens.
