Arm technology powers most of the new products at CES 2026, forming the base for the smart vehicles, robots, and XR devices on display. This broad use marks a turning point as AI shifts from just understanding data to taking real-world actions.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang highlighted this change in his keynote. He said, “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here.”
Robots Move Beyond the Lab
NVIDIA showed its physical AI stack, featuring the Jetson Thor chip built on Arm Neoverse, which helps machines think and adapt in changing settings. Big companies like Boston Dynamics, Caterpillar, and LG Electronics presented robots using this technology.
Qualcomm also moved forward with its new Dragonwing IQ10 robotics processor. This chip uses the Arm platform to run industrial and mobile robots, focusing on saving energy at the edge.
Automotive leads the way
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The technology behind these robots comes from progress in the automotive industry. The new Mercedes-Benz CLA launched with NVIDIA’s Drive AV Software, which runs on the Arm Neoverse-based NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Thor. Companies such as Rivian are using this shared setup to bring their vehicle knowledge into robotics.
What this means for consumers
Moving to “edge-first” platforms brings clear benefits for everyday users, not just those in industry. Since these systems handle data on the device instead of only in the cloud, people can expect faster and more reliable devices.
Prioritizing power efficiency means longer battery life for consumer electronics, especially in the growing market of Windows on Arm AI PCs. Safety is also a top priority. The Nuro-Lucid-Uber partnership uses Arm Neoverse V3AE to provide Level 4 autonomy with strong safety for driverless transportation.
Building bigger infrastructure
Data centers are also seeing new developments. NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin AI platform uses Arm-based chips to improve performance for tough tasks. At the same time, Uber is using Arm-based Ampere servers to make its cloud more efficient and use less power.
Looking ahead, more “AI-defined” vehicles and Windows on Arm laptops are expected to reach consumers later this year as companies expand these technologies.
