Get ready for a tech extravaganza! AMD's CES 2026 keynote is about to kick off, and we're live at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, with our team ready to bring you all the exciting updates. But here's the twist: it's not just about new hardware; it's about the future of AI and its impact on various industries.
The event starts at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET, and we're expecting big things from AMD CEO Lisa Su. Rumors are swirling about potential product announcements, including the highly anticipated 'Gorgon Point' laptop processors and new X3D desktop processors. But what about consumer GPUs? Well, it seems AMD is keeping us in suspense, just like Nvidia did.
The Keynote Unveiling:
As the event unfolds, we're witnessing a fascinating journey into the world of AI. Lisa Su takes the stage, emphasizing that the night is all about AI, and the theme is a bold promise: "You ain't seen nothing yet." AMD's technology, she claims, touches billions of lives daily, and they're not shying away from the gaming industry, often overlooked by others.
AI's Reach and Potential:
Su predicts that within five years, over 5 billion people will use AI daily, which is more than half the world's population. But there's a catch: AMD admits they don't have enough compute power to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation, echoing Nvidia's earlier claims. Su aims to boost compute power to 10+ YottaFlops in the next five years, an astonishing number.
The AI Revolution:
AMD's vision is to deliver AI across CPUs, GPUs, NPUs, and custom accelerators, starting with the cloud. Most people experience AI in the cloud, and AMD's EPYC CPUs power every major cloud provider. But the demand for more compute power is growing, and AMD has a solution: Helios, a rack-scale platform for the AI era, introduced in 2025. This platform is a powerhouse, featuring HBM4 and up to 72 GPUs built on 2nm and 3nm processes.
The Hardware Showcase:
The Helios compute tray is a beast, packing four MI455X GPUs and Epyc CPUs, all liquid-cooled. The MI455X and Venice are a dynamic duo, with Venice boasting 2nm technology, up to 256 Zen 6 cores, 31TB of HBM4 memory, and 18,000 GPU compute units. AMD promises a 10x performance increase with MI455X compared to its predecessor.
AI in Action:
OpenAI's Greg Brockman takes the stage, highlighting the impact of AI on enterprise and scientific discovery. He discusses the compute demands of AI, and Su humorously notes that every time they meet, he asks for more compute power. But it's not just about hardware; AI is transforming industries like film production, with multi-modal models enabling accurate physics and lighting simulations.
AI's Creative Impact:
LumaAI's Amit Jain demonstrates how AI can revolutionize film production, allowing individuals or small teams to create stunning visuals. He highlights AMD's early adoption in AI software, and the potential of multimodal AI in robotics. The AMD MI500 series, set for 2027, promises a 1000x increase in AI performance over four years.
AI in PCs and Gaming:
Su moves on to AI PCs, claiming they deliver value across everyday tasks. The Ryzen AI 400 series is introduced, offering faster memory speeds while retaining the Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 architecture. Liquid AI's Ramin Hasani discusses quantizing models for local use, and announces LFM3.0 for real-time audiovisual interaction. AMD also showcases the Ryzen AI Halo, a powerful system with preloaded models, coming in Q2 2026.
AI's Creative Impact:
World Labs' Dr. Fei-Fei Li joins Su to discuss spatial intelligence and how AI can create 3D or even 4D worlds. They showcase how AI can learn the 3D structure of the world, and how it can be used to recreate real-life spaces. Li emphasizes the need for AI to reflect human values, receiving applause from the audience.
AI in Healthcare:
The keynote shifts to healthcare, with AI CEOs discussing drug development and genome sequencing. Absci's Sean McClain calls for AI-driven drug development, while Illumina's Jacob Thaysen highlights the data-intensive nature of genome sequencing and the crucial role of EPYC CPUs. AstraZeneca's Ola Engkvist explains how AI can streamline drug experimentation.
Physical AI and Robotics:
Dr. Su introduces physical AI, a challenging field in technology. Generative Bionics' Daniele Pucci discusses the need for fast chips in robotics, and showcases a humanoid robot with a sense of touch and custom-made shoes. The robot, named Gene 1, is a testament to the potential of physical AI.
AI in Space and Science:
AMD's compute power is used in leading space agencies, and Blue Origin's John Couluris joins Su to discuss the unique challenges of space. The keynote concludes with a focus on science, highlighting supercomputers' role in weather forecasting, fuel development, and virus evolution. White House Science advisor Michael Kratsios discusses the Genesis Mission, aiming to use AI in scientific research.
The Future of AI Leadership:
Lisa Su asks what the US must do to lead in AI, and Kratsios highlights President Trump's AI action plan, focusing on deregulation, energy expansion, and technology export. The event ends with a celebration of AMD's technology, industry partnerships, and public-private collaborations. But the question remains: how will AI shape our future, and what role will AMD play in this revolution? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
