Tech showcase returns at scale

Japan’s flagship digital-tech fair CEATEC opened on October 14 near Tokyo, spotlighting AI, robotics, mobility and energy-efficient computing. Exhibitors demonstrated humanoid assistance, factory cobots, and embedded AI for appliances and autos. Chipmakers focused on edge accelerators to cut power draw for vision and speech tasks. Telecoms pitched 5G-Advanced roadmaps, private networks for factories, and early research toward 6G. Startups clustered around health tech and elder care—big themes for Japan’s aging society. Organizers cast the show as a platform to knit hardware strengths with software partnerships as global competition intensifies.

Why it matters

Japan’s manufacturers want to move up the value chain as China scales hardware and the U.S. soaks up AI investment. Leaner, safer robots and low-power AI offer a path to productivity gains without massive workforce growth. Policymakers emphasized “green ICT”: data-center cooling, power-savvy chips, and circular-economy design. Foreign delegations—from Southeast Asia to Europe—scouted suppliers, a reminder that supply chains are diversifying. The near-term barometer will be orders for edge modules and private 5G as firms budget for 2026. If demos translate into pilots, CEATEC could signal that Japan’s industrial tech story has fresh momentum.