Bloomberg Tech at CES, Day 2 – January 7, 2026

Hosts: Caroline Hyde (New York), Ed Ludlow (San Francisco)
Location: CES, Las Vegas

Episode Overview

This special edition of Bloomberg Tech was broadcast live from the CES show floor in Las Vegas. The episode delivers a comprehensive slate of conversations with top tech executives and market analysts, delving into advancements in AI, edge robotics, chip innovation, partnerships, and the shifting landscape of media and streaming. Key interviewees included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Siemens CEO Roland Busch, Intel’s Jim Johnson, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua, Quick Play’s Paul Pastor, and General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja. The overall tone: excitement and anticipation about the next wave of AI-driven transformation across industries.

Key Segments, Insights, and Discussion Points

1. Market & Tech Industry Recap

[04:15 – 09:00]

• Geopolitics vs. Tech Markets
  Market sentiment remained positive amidst geopolitical tensions (US/Russia). The S&P and Nasdaq were at record highs, with technology stocks less affected by macro uncertainties.

• Nvidia’s Dominance at CES
  Nvidia, particularly under CEO Jensen Huang, was at the center of discussions. Despite China's recent order for its tech companies to halt H200 orders, Nvidia’s robust forecast and demand signals (notably for Hopper, Blackwell, and Rubin) pointed to a sturdy year ahead.

  • Key quote – Jensen Huang:
    “Hopper pricing is actually going up in the cloud… the demand that's being generated all over the world. So H200, I think, is going to contribute also to that… all told, I think we should have a very good year.” [08:00]

• Memory Chip Boom
  SanDisk and the memory sector saw huge gains—SanDisk was up 50% in the first three trading days of the year—with surging demand and slow supply ramp driving price increases.

  • Memorable comment:
    “As always with the memory chip industry, you either got a feast or a famine. At the moment we're in a famine. When we're in a famine, the price goes up.” [10:20]

2. Nvidia & Siemens: AI-Industrial Partnership

[15:20 – 20:50]

• New Partnership for Digital Industry

  • Jensen Huang (Nvidia CEO):
    “We're accelerating their EDA software, we're accelerating their simulation software, we're integrating AI technology, physical AI and agent AI into their team center and their factory automation operating system... We're working across this entire spectrum together.” [16:15]

  • Roland Busch (Siemens CEO):
    “It's not only in the data centers or any factories which we see, but also on the edge... these industrial PCs are AI industrial. We supercharge it and they can now run algorithms trained in the cloud—on the shop floor, real-time optimization.” [19:10]

• Vision: This partnership aims to bring AI-powered efficiency, digital twins, and autonomous optimization to industry, signaling an “industrial revolution.”

3. Intel’s Comeback: Core Ultra Series 3 Launch

Guest: Jim Johnson, SVP & GM, Intel Client Computing Group
[22:00 – 31:45]

• ‘Vibes Are Good’ for Intel at CES
  After “a long journey,” Intel sees renewed optimism around its new Core Ultra Series 3 processor, built on the 18A process node.

• Technical Leap:

  • Combines power from the previous year’s most powerful and most efficient mobile processors.
  • Delivers workloads at 40% lower power; “super powerful, surprisingly power efficient.” [23:30]

• Competing with AMD and Qualcomm:
  Johnson asserts Intel’s lead, especially in mobile gaming with advanced AI-powered GPU features like multi-frame generation, which “quadruples frame rate and delivers super smooth play.” [26:10]

• PC Market Outlook:

  • Uncertain forecasts (IDC: shrink vs. others: growth due to AI PC).
  • Intel’s edge: strong customer demand, partnership with AI companies like Perplexity.
  • Edge Computing Push: Series 3 is designed for local AI workloads, with immediate demand from industrial customers.
  • Quote:
    “Because we've been deploying APCs now for two years, we have the equivalent of 40 data centers worth of compute on the edge.” [28:10]

• Manufacturing Innovations (“Ribbon FET”, “Backside Power”):

  • Up to 30% better chip density, all-day to multi-day battery, vertical integration.

• Addressing Memory Costs:

  • Johnson acknowledges industry-wide memory pricing issues but maintains Intel’s build plan “solid”—expecting a “middle ground” for PC market growth in 2026. [31:35]

4. Qualcomm Bets on Robotics as Next AI Frontier

Guest: Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm CEO
[34:10 – 37:45]

• Robotics as Edge AI & New Growth Engine:

  • Emphasizes robotics (industrial/humanoid) as the “next big wave of AI,” likening its evolution to the automotive market’s shift to autonomy.
  • “By definition, [robotics] is an edge AI problem to solve, no different than what we did in automotive… Physical AI is a massive opportunity.” [34:30]

• Timeline:

  • Industrial robots already underway; fully autonomous consumer humanoids “will take time” but start to gain traction in 2026 and beyond.

5. CES Robotics Vibes and Health Tech Trends

Reporter: Sam Kelly
[38:00 – 41:30]

• Robotics:

  • Humanoids are everywhere on the CES show floor.

  • Live demos (ping-pong, coffee-making, laundry-folding) become more common, but challenges remain (dexterity, speed, stability).

  • Quote:
    “This is about pushing forward the innovation, thinking what’s coming in the next decade, maybe not the next 10 months.” [40:20]

• Health & Wellness Innovations:

  • Beyond wearables: smart toothbrushes predicting kidney disease, “longevity mirrors,” smart night guards for sleep/bruxism.
  • Emphasis on expanding data sources (e.g., saliva vs. skin).

• CES Vibe:
  “Feels like exciting… people are really excited to be here and show off different new things.” [41:10]

6. Mobileye’s $900M Robotics Play:

Guest: Amnon Shashua, CEO of Mobileye
[43:00 – 52:20]

• From ADAS to Physical AI:

  • Mobileye acquires Israeli startup Mentee Robotics for $900M (cash + stock), marking a pivot from automotive to robotics.
  • Shashua sees robotics/humanoids as a logical “complementary domain” for Mobileye’s expertise in computer vision and AI.
  • Addressing nepotism: Shashua’s son works at Mentee (minimally involved, not a conflict), similarities to Musk/Tesla scenarios.

• Go-to-Market Strategy:

  • Phase 1: Structured environments (warehouses, retail) by 2028 (custom fleets, $20,000 hardware cost per robot).
  • Phase 2: Unstructured homes—far more complex; robots need continuous passive learning, cloud-based training, foundation models.
    • “The robot is watching, passively watching a human showing a new type of task... the video goes up to the cloud... foundation model... trains... goes back to the robot and the robots perform the task.” [48:10]

• ADAS/Robotaxi Expansion:

  • Mobileye stack in 100k+ Volkswagen vehicles, soon to remove drivers (“going driverless in Q3”), winning cost competitions.
  • Striking new US automaker deals (9M cars, surround ADAS).
  • Rumors of Nvidia acquiring AI21 are downplayed.
  • Quote:
    “Competition is always good… it kind of ignites the market.” [49:30]

7. Streaming & Media M&A: Paramount, Warner Bros., Netflix

Guest: Paul Pastor, Chief Business Officer, Quick Play
[54:20 – 1:02:40]

• Deal Dynamics:

  • Warner Bros. rejects Paramount Skydance's $30/share bid (calling it “inadequate”), stressing disagreements on the value of cable networks.
  • “The real value has shifted. The advertising dollars have shifted in a new direction.” [55:20]

• Consumer Experience:

  • Netflix–Warner Bros. combo would marry “superior storytelling” (HBO legacy) with “superior tech/personalization” (Netflix).
  • Concern: Excessive M&A focus can stall innovation, while TikTok/YouTube and the creator economy gain ground.

• 2026 Media AI Outlook:

  • AI moves from “discrete projects” to overarching ecosystem strategies—short-form content as discovery and retention channel, hyper-personalization.
  • “People are thinking about how do I look at AI as foundational to the way I operate with my technology and with my consumers. And that's the big shift, I think in the mindset.” [1:01:10]

• Quick Play:

  • Provides white-label OTT backend, now offering AI-enhanced content management, discovery, and engagement solutions.

8. VC Sentiment: AI Company Valuations & IPO Pipeline

Guest: Hemant Taneja, CEO, General Catalyst
[1:04:00 – 1:08:10]

• Valuations Still “Tricky”:

  • Flood of funding into a few big AI projects; “applied AI” companies can grow into their high valuations if they scale fast.

  • Uncertainty over which applied AI companies will be truly “durable” in a world where “models may do everything themselves.”

  • On Anthropic:

    • Excels at both model and product/application layer (“Claude is really redefining the engineering department”).
    • Could go public “in the next 12-18 months,” but market unpredictability complicates timing.
    • “It’s hard to predict, you know, how these companies are going to scale for a little bit longer.” [1:07:30]

• Discord's Confidential IPO Filing:

  • Marks acceleration of tech IPO pipeline (Discord, Motive, possibly Anthropic).
  • Discord’s transition from gamer chat to broader platform, leadership changes, and search for sustainable valuations after the exuberance of 2021.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jensen Huang on AI Impact:
  “This is really about being able to do the impossible and being able to do the impossible right the first time. And once we realize that AI creates real world impact, this is where it really deploys the full power and also the economic power.” [17:30]

• Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm) on Robots:
  “I like to do this parallel with what we saw with automotive... Until you get there, you can do assisted driving to every car on the road. I think the same parallel applies to robotics.” [35:55]

• Jim Johnson (Intel) on Competition:
  “If you're into mobile games, is intel in the lead? I believe so, yes. 2026 is fascinating.” [26:55]

• Paul Pastor (Quick Play) on AI in Media:
  “The focus becomes how do these companies potentially come together... no one's focused on the fact that they're competing with an ecosystem that is evolving around them.” [59:10]

• Hemant Taneja on Anthropic:
  “They've built a great set of models. They've been very capital efficient. The thing that's interesting is they also have an amazing set of use cases on top that are taking hold.” [1:05:30]

Time-stamped Segment Guide

| Segment | Topic | Timestamps | |---------|-------|------------| | Market Recap, Nvidia at CES | [04:15–10:15] | | Nvidia–Siemens Partnership | [15:20–20:50] | | Intel New Chip Launch | [22:00–31:45] | | Qualcomm on Robotics | [34:10–37:45] | | CES Robotics/Health Tech | [38:00–41:30] | | Mobileye Robotics/Mentee | [43:00–52:20] | | Warner/Paramount M&A | [54:20–1:02:40] | | AI Startup Valuations/IPOs | [1:04:00–1:08:10] |

Conclusion

The Day 2 CES special of Bloomberg Tech captured the surging optimism (and realism) in the tech industry. Robotics and AI are converging across domains—from the datacenter and factory floor to household robots and personalized media ecosystems. Chip giants press ahead with advanced manufacturing and edge processing. Meanwhile, the media world is being remade by streaming M&A, social platforms, and AI-driven content discovery. Venture capital remains bullish but sober about rapid growth, exit timing, and the durability of AI startups. CES 2026, as conveyed, is full of excitement for the “next decade” rather than chasing short-term hype.

For more, follow coverage at Bloomberg.com and stay tuned for deeper dives in upcoming episodes.