2021-01-19 Woo Eun-jung, Los Angeles Trade Center, USA
– Technology trends to be noted in 2021 are “Digital Health·Digital Transformation·Robots and Drones·Vehicle Technology·5G·Smart City” –
From January 1 to 11, the world's largest IT and consumer electronics show, the 'CES 14' digital show, was held successfully. CES is a large-scale global exhibition held every January at the beginning of the year, and is a key event in the technology industry where various items and products covering not only various consumer electronics but also the entire technology field are gathered. Let's take a look at the main contents of CES 2021, which was held in a completely new way due to the COVID-1 pandemic, the technology trend outlook, and the online showcase sites of various global companies.
Part 1 of the review briefly examines the composition and changes of this CES, which was conducted only online for the first time ever, while reviewing 6 technology trends and key keynotes to be noted this year, and in Part 2, various global companies including Korea are looking at the world's attention. I'd like to point out how he got it.
[CES 2021 Review Part 1] The prelude to a completely new'digital show'
[CES 2021 Review Part 2] A global technology contest that can't stop even the pandemic
<CES 2021 held as'All Digital' unprecedented>
Source: CES 2021 Digital Exhibition Center (http://digital.ces.tech/)
Meeting with'All DIGITAL' CES in 2021
We have left behind 1919, dominated by 'COVID-2020', and welcomed the new year of 2021. However, we are facing the difficult COVID-1919 pandemic era, which is the same as last year, or even worse than last year, to the point that the word 'new year' is meaningless. CES, the world's largest event that announces the start of the year every January, was no exception. This year's CES, which is in its 1th year, was held 'All Digital' for the first time in the history of the event due to the aftermath of the pandemic.
Unlike the conventional method that provided brilliant sights in a spacious exhibition hall, participating companies prepared'online exhibitions' such as promotional videos, product information, live chat and meetings through CES digital exhibition halls, and buyers and visitors from all over the world I was able to conveniently browse online showcases of participating companies without visiting Las Vegas, USA. Of course, there was a limit in not being able to actually experience various new technologies and products in front of us, but it is evaluated as a great advantage that it was able to carefully examine the exhibitions of all interested companies without limitation of time and space while ensuring the safety of all. In addition, various contents such as Keynote Addresses of key tech companies,'Partner Programming', an online conference session covering a variety of topics, and'C Space' focusing on the media/entertainment/marketing area are also available. It was offered on demand. Online showcases and various contents of such companies can be viewed again at any time for a month.
From offline to full online, the size of the participating companies has decreased by more than half from 4500 in the previous year to 1900 this year as the platform of the event has undergone major changes. However, it seems that many companies such as the world's leading global companies including Verizon, GM, BMW, Intel, Philips, P&G, and Korea's representative Samsung and LG still knock on the door of this digital CES. In particular, Korea, where a total of 341 companies participated, recorded the largest number of participation after the host country, the United States, where 566 companies participated. KOTRA formed the Korea Pavilion with the Korea Electronic Information and Communication Industry Promotion Association (KEA), Changwon Industry Promotion Agency, Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency (GBSA), and the Ulsan Regional Headquarters of the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) to support Korean SMEs' participation in CES. In addition, a lot of participation from our startup companies, led by Startup Promotion Agency, Daegu Metropolitan City, Korea Institute of Electronics Technology, and Hanyang University, was also noticeable.
Explore key technology trends to watch this year
The keyword that cannot be left out in 2020 is definitely the 'COVID-1919 pandemic'. The United States and the entire world are still experiencing great sorrow and crisis due to it, and it is analyzed that the emergence of this pandemic has led to the spread and intensification of unprecedented 'innovation' in the technology field. Due to the pandemic, urgent changes were needed in various areas of life that we were familiar with, and various technological innovations made these changes possible, and the role of 'digital solutions' has become more important than ever. Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of CTA, said in his keynote speech that digital solutions in various fields are changing not only our lifestyles but also the smallest parts of our daily lives. It is expected that these various digital solutions will continue to grow and play a big role in 2021, when we must continue the fight against the pandemic, supported by even more vibrant technological innovations.
<CTA CEO and CEO Gary Shapiro giving a keynote speech>
Source: CES 2021 Digital Exhibition Center (http://digital.ces.tech/)
CES's organizer, CTA (American Consumer Technology Association), has predicted and forecast notable technology trends every year, and the CTA's forecast is renowned for being surprisingly accurate every year. This time, at the media briefing held on the first day of the CES, the key technology trends (CES 2021 Key Trends) to be noted at this year's CES were announced. These core technology trends include △digital health, △digital transformation, △robots and drones, △vehicle technology, △5G, and △smart city.As mentioned above, this core trend is ultimately aimed at overcoming the pandemic. It seems to be in line with our purpose. Here's a quick look at each trend.
· Digital Health
The digital health field, which has been steadily growing and attracting attention from the past, is expanding more and more rapidly with the advent of the pandemic, and is already meeting various demands. Health status monitoring combined with digital technology, various wearable devices that improve the quality of life, and now are developing to a level that can directly diagnose, treat, and care for patients. In the future, it is expected to grow with robot caregivers, AI-based diagnosis, and the use of extended reality (XR) in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
· Digital Transformation
It is no exaggeration to say that digital transformation is now taking place in almost every area of our lives. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even said, “We have seen two years of digital transformation in just two months.” In particular, the crisis in the health system caused by the pandemic is further accelerating digital transformation, that is, the transition to the cloud, and the digital transformation of our lives that the COVID-2 era requires, such as digital fitness, digital classes, digital psychology, and trials, is expected to continue this year as well.
Robots & Drones
The development of robots and drones as a means of effectively responding to COVID-1919 is also noteworthy. Robots and drones are being used in various fields such as quarantine activities in the logistics, retail, and medical industries, safe transportation and delivery of necessary supplies, inventory management in essential retail industries, and other activities requiring close contact. UV sterilization robots that can disinfect various spaces are also appearing, attracting attention. It is expected that the role of robots and drones as such 'non-contact activists' will grow even larger in the future.
Vehicle Technology
In the future, the vehicle and transportation sector is also expected to grow significantly. In CTA, more advanced mobility as a service (MaaS), cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology that enables communication between people, objects and vehicles around them, the development of autonomous vehicles and electric vehicles, etc. Is selected as a key trend in the field of vehicle technology, and the development of next-generation transportation means such as electric public vehicles such as eVTOL is also paying attention.
5G Connectivity
This year is expected to be a year focused on the remarkable development and introduction of 5G, a key trend that has been greatly emphasized in the technology sector. In particular, the crisis and importance of the 'health sector' caused by the pandemic are accelerating facility investment (CAPEX) and job creation related to 5G. 1919G, which is considered a key technology in the COVID-5 era, is expected to lead growth into the hyper-connected era by expanding to a wide range of fields such as sports, entertainment, education, shopping, and logistics in addition to the telecommunications sector.
Smart Cities
With the prolonged pandemic, social distancing is more and more emphasized, and smart city-related technologies such as contact tracing, pandemic status and information system by city, and non-contact and non-face-to-face public facilities are also continuing. It is expected to be required. We look forward to regaining a more hygienic and safe working environment through the development of smart city and smart building technology at the time of returning to work after finishing work from home in the future.
Source: CES 2021 Digital Exhibition Center (http://digital.ces.tech/)
Technology industry topic '5G' examined by keynote speech
According to Intel, 5G is a next-generation mobile communication technology that provides about 4 times faster speed and about 50 times more capacity compared to 1000G LTE, which is currently the most used. 12G devices, including Apple's iPhone 5, launched last year, are beginning to appear on the market, and it seems that the advent of the 5G era in earnest is approaching. As a testament to how much 5G is attracting attention in the technology industry, Verizon, a telecommunications company represented by 5G, took the first keynote addresses of this year's CES, capturing the attention of members of the technology industry around the world.
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon, highlights 5G in keynote speech
Source: CES 2021 Digital Exhibition Center (http://digital.ces.tech/)
Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon, said in this keynote address how 5G can change our lives in the rapidly changing pandemic era. “5G goes beyond its role as a communication technology to work from home, distance education, streaming services, and e-sports. It is a technology that connects all fields into one.” Vestberg looked at the future of 5G in areas such as Sports, Learning, Smart City, and Entertainment, and in particular, the experiences of our consumers where 5G consumes content in each area. I focused on how to improve it. In particular, cases such as virtual e-sports stadiums and virtual museums powered by 5G, drones for delivery that are quickly adjusted through 5G networks, and AR live performances that provide a vivid sense of reality without slowing down the speed with 5G left a deep impression on the visitors.
In addition, various keynote sessions such as General Motors, which projected the next-generation mobility and the future electric vehicle era, and Microsoft, which focused on the security, privacy, and sustainability of the technology industry, were evaluated as attracting the attention of numerous LAN line visitors of CES 2021. , It was an interesting time to get a glimpse of the topic of the real technology industry.
※ In the next [CES 2021 Review 2], we will revisit the online showcases of various global companies, including Korean companies, and their implications.
Source: CTA (Consumer Technology Association), CES official website, Digital Venue, CNET, Deloitte, Tech Republic, and other KOTRA Los Angeles Trade Center data