CES, The World Biggest Technology Festival

From global IT giants to innovative startups, leading companies from around the world gather at this premier technology event.

Cutting-edge technologies in AI, robotics, autonomous driving, XR, and space business are showcased at the venue. Exhibitors not only unveil new products but also present bold challenges that envision what will become “the norm” in the coming years.

It is known as one of the world’s largest technology events, attracting participants from over 150 countries and regions every year. Walking around the venue, you can feel the passion of engineers from around the world and their visions for the future, transcending language barriers. Everywhere you go, you’ll find hints of what our future society may look like.

FORUM8's Challenge in Las Vegas

FORUM8 has been exhibiting at CES every year. Continuing to participate as a Japanese software company among the massive booths of world-renowned enterprises is both a great source of inspiration and a significant challenge for us. At our booth, we showcase the technologies we have developed in Japan.

• City and traffic simulations using VR
• Disaster-prevention and smart-city technologies that visualize "what if" scenarios in disasters and environments
• Utilization of digital twins that connect the real world and virtual space

Rather than flashy presentations, our style is to focus on practical simulation technologies that support cities and social infrastructure.

Interests in Japan Tech

One of the appeals of CES is the direct interaction with visitors. A wide variety of people from around the world such as engineers, researchers, and business professionals stop by our booth.
Receiving comments such as “This simulation could be applied to urban planning” and “Japanese disaster‑prevention technologies are fascinating,” we truly value the time spent discussing our technologies with visitors.

At the same time, we also feel that Japan’s meticulous craftsmanship and technologies developed with social issues in mind are viewed with great interest by engineers from overseas.

Ongoing Challenges

Presenting technology at a venue where companies from around the world gather can feel overwhelming in scale, yet it also offers countless opportunities for inspiration and learning. By exhibiting at CES, FORUM8 aims to share Japan‑made software technologies while staying aligned with global technological trends. We hope that taking on these challenges will help broaden the possibilities for Japanese technologies and engineers.

Technology Trends Observed at This Year’s CES

While walking around the venue, we found the evolution of automobile showcases particularly striking this year.
In previous years, exhibits by major automobile manufacturers often dominated the event, but we saw far fewer of them this time. Instead, mobility‑related technologies showcased by software companies and electronic device manufacturers were particularly notable.
Rather than the automobiles themselves, it was the software, AI, sensor, and data technologies that support them which drew the most attention, highlighting how rapidly the world of mobility is changing.

We also noticed significant changes in the AI‑related exhibits this year.
In previous years, many exhibits focused on conceptual demonstrations of AI’s potential, but this year we saw a significant shift toward displays featuring AI integrated into actual products and services. This gave us the sense that AI is no longer just a future technology, but is already beginning to be used in the real world.

During the CES event, we also visited Sphere at The Venetian, which is gaining attention as a new landmark in Las Vegas. Inside its massive spherical screen, we experienced The Wizard of Oz in an overwhelming, immersive visual environment.
Experiences like this make us feel that VR and XR technologies have the potential to expand into many fields beyond entertainment, including education and simulation.

CES is not just an exhibition, but a valuable place where we can directly sense the directions in which the world’s technologies are heading.