Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK readying for CES 2020

Kim Hyun-suk, president of Samsung Electronics' consumer electronics division, speaks during a press conference at the CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Jan. 7. Kim will deliver a keynote speech at the CES 2020, which will be held from Jan. 7 to 10, 2020. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung, LG, Hyundai, SK and other Korean companies are primed and ready to flaunt their cutting-edge technologies at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which will take place in Las Vegas for four days from Jan. 7 to 10.

The U.S. Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizer of the world's largest tech fair, said the 2020 show will be a place to weigh in on the latest technology trends, ranging from artificial intelligence (AI), to fifth-generation (5G) networks, future cars, augmented and virtual reality, and robotics.

The CES has long been an event for tech companies such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, but with an increasing trend toward the convergence of IT and other industries, more non-traditional tech companies are joining the fair to strut their stuff.

"The CES 2020 will showcase the full breadth of innovation from more than 4,500 companies across 30 product categories, including non-traditional tech companies such as Bell, BMW, Bosch and Doosan as well as top consumer product companies," the organizer said.

Samsung, which made a huge splash even before the start of the event by winning 46 CES 2020 Innovation Awards for outstanding design and engineering of its products, will display appliances that feature emerging technologies such as AI, the internet of things (IoT) and 5G.

"Samsung will exhibit home appliances, a digital vehicle cockpit system and robotics products that utilize our AI, IoT and 5G technologies," a Samsung official said. "With more enhanced products and services, we will try to offer visitors to our booth the experience of a future consumer lifestyle."

Exhibits will include AI speaker Galaxy Home Mini, which enables users to control not only IoT devices made by Samsung but also by other manufacturers. The Family Hub smart refrigerator will offer improved home IoT and entertainment features and its smart TVs will show enhanced connectivity with other devices.

Occupying 3,370 square meters, the tech giant said it will have the largest booth among the participating companies.

Kim Hyun-suk, president of Samsung's consumer electronics division, will deliver a keynote speech during the tech fair. "Kim will share Samsung's role in shaping a new consumer experience for global citizens through its cutting-edge technologies, ultimately leading to positive changes in society," the company said.

Customers wait for LG Electronics' robot chef to cook noodles at a restaurant in Seoul, Nov. 22. The company will display its robotics at the CES 2020 event. / Courtesy of LG Electronics

LG is stepping up its efforts to exhibit AI-featured products and robotics products that can enhance the quality of consumers' lives, at the tech fair.

"We introduced a wide range of AI-enabled products during the 2019 show with the theme of 'AI for an even better life.' For the upcoming CES fair, LG plans to showcase products that are equipped with enhanced AI features so that we can deliver a life-changing experience to our consumers," an LG official said.

The company will exhibit its entire robotics products portfolio, ranging from those for the business environment to home-help robots.

"Taking the robotics business as one of our future growth engines, LG has been developing various robotics products such as guides, lawn mowers and servers. The latest is the CLOi Chefbot, a robot chef that is currently used in a restaurant in Seoul. We plan to display various products at the CES," the official added.

LG will also display 8K TVs that use its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, large-sized commercial displays and smartphones that come with a dual-screen accessory.

It remains to be seen what kinds of OLED display installation will decorate the entrance of LG's exhibition booth at the fair.

LG wowed visitors to the tech fair by decorating the entrance of its booth with massive installations made of its OLEDs. Utilizing hundreds of OLEDs, the company showcased OLED tunnel, canyon and falls displays at previous fairs. LG hasn't revealed any details of the installation yet.

Samsung and LG are also drawing attention as to whether the world's No.1 and No.2 TV sellers will wage a war over the quality of 8K TV again at the CES.

LG has attacked Samsung over the resolution of 8K TV since the IFA trade fair held in Berlin, September, claiming that the latter's products have a low-contrast modulation value and don't comply with industry standards.

At a time when the sales of high-resolution TVs are expected to soar thanks to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July, it remains to be seen whether Samsung will come up with 8K TVs that have more than a 50 percent contrast modulation value.

With the rapid confluence of the automotive and IT industries, Hyundai Motor Group is also taking part in the tech. The company said its booth will introduce its future mobility strategy.

The carmaker recently unveiled its plan to transform itself into a "smart mobility solution provider" by 2025 to take the lead in the global auto industry. To achieve the goal it will focus on developing smart mobility products that include not only cars but also personal air vehicles and last-mile mobility equipment. It will launch an integrated mobility platform to offer personalized content and services to consumers.

"We have recently announced our future strategy to become a smart mobility solution provider. In that context, the Hyundai booth will be decorated with our mobility businesses and future plans," a Hyundai Motor official said.

Visitors enter the Las Vegas Convention Center during the CES 2019, Jan. 8. / AFP-Yonhap

SK Group will show off its latest mobility technologies.

"The group's core affiliates ― SK Telecom, SK Innovation, SK hynix and SKC ― will participate in the CES 2020 to promote their technologies used in the mobility industry," an SK Telecom official said. The group has been accelerating its effort to capitalize on the fast-growing industry.

SK Telecom, a telecommunications arm of the group, will display self-driving technologies such as light detection and ranging (lidar) and infotainment technologies.

SK Innovation, an energy affiliate, will display its battery technologies for elective vehicles; SK hynix, a semiconductor affiliate, will come up with its chips for mobility devices; and SKC, a semiconductor material affiliate, will showcase its material products.

Doosan Group will participate in the CES for the first time as its construction equipment affiliates ― Doosan Infracore and Doosan Bobcat ― will display how they have digitized technologies and products used in construction industry.

"This is the first time for Doosan Group to attend the CES. Though we are not tech companies, we will focus on displaying how the group's affiliates have made digitization of their products and services such as remotely controlling construction workflow," a group official said.

Seoul City will also attend CES 2020 accompanying startups based in the capital.

The city said it will have its own pavilion at the tech fair to display its information technology-featured-administrative services under the theme "Smart city and smart life."

Seoul will install a "digital civic mayor's office," which visualizes 16 million administrative data and video information collected from around 1,500 surveillance cameras in the city to help policy decision-making process of the mayor and high-ranking officials. The city will also run a support program for 24 startups so that they can promote their products and services at the pavilion.

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