Technological Power Is Everywhere Giants Lead The Industry in New Directions
On March 14th, 2024, the China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo (AWE2024) officially kicked off at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. At this exhibition, the technological power permeated by AI is everywhere.
Standing inside the exhibition hall, the colorful lights reflect a brilliant scene: on the booth, various consumer electronics products compete, and high-tech products such as transparent TVs, drones, and intelligent concept cars are overwhelming.
AWE2024 is a technological feast for the comprehensive implementation of AI big models in the home appliance and consumer electronics industry. Unlike previous years, at this year's exhibition, the deep integration of AI and industry is more within reach; New concepts and directions such as AI home appliance models, smart homes, and low altitude aircraft are constantly emerging.
As an important platform for Chinese technology brands to go global, AWE has always been a benchmark for the development of China's home appliance industry, an important window for Chinese home appliance enterprises to carry out industrial cooperation and seek trade opportunities globally, and is also becoming a stage for the new generation of technological transformation.
AI accelerates penetration
The Securities Daily reporter learned on site that AWE2024 has set up 13 exhibition halls with an exhibition area of 150000 square meters, attracting more than 1000 global home appliance and consumer electronics companies from more than 10 countries.
When talking about his feelings about AWE2024, Xu Dongsheng, Vice Chairman of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, said in an interview with Securities Daily reporters on site, "We have seen a large number of AI innovation achievements emerging this time. AWE's platform value and influence are constantly improving, AI is accelerating the transition of the industrial chain to high value, and AWE's global influence and internationalization level are higher."
At this exhibition, numerous home appliance and consumer electronics giants and supply chain enterprises brought "black technologies" such as mural TVs, future concept cars, industrial intelligent "backpacks" for building scanning, and commercial beauty detection devices. Among the numerous "black technologies", AI is clearly the protagonist, empowering products such as smart terminals, automotive electronics, and new industries, achieving an iteration from "perception" to "cognition".
At the exhibition, AI terminals undoubtedly became the highlight, with various AI terminals emerging in fields such as smart TVs, mobile phones, home, esports, camping, and elderly friendly scenarios. Meanwhile, companies such as Huawei, Haier, Changhong, and Huadi showcased their AI big models, smart brains, and smart chips jointly developed with the industrial chain. It can be seen that AI is no longer just an independent technology or module in the perception system in the industrial chain, but integrates various links such as product design, production, and sales.
According to Gartner's report, AI appliances will become a trillion dollar market in 2024. IDC predicts that by 2024, more than 70% of AI enabled terminal devices will be installed in the Chinese market.
"With the help of technologies such as AI big models, home appliance production lines have achieved a production efficiency increase of more than three times and product energy efficiency increase of more than two times." Pointing to the AI production line model displayed on site, a head of a home appliance enterprise told Securities Daily reporters.
A staff member at the JD Cloud Yanxi booth told reporters, "The AI big model is accelerating its landing in logistics and other application fields. The JD Yanxi big model is a big model aimed at industries."
In the view of Liang Zhenpeng, Chief Consultant of Zhifan Coast Institution and Observer of Home Appliance Industry, in the face of the new trend of integration of AI and manufacturing, and the urgent need for upgrading of the home appliance industry, home appliance intelligent manufacturing enterprises are actively applying technological innovation achievements to production practice. "Enterprises still need to continuously launch new products with high-tech content and high added value, actively integrate new technologies such as AI into the industrial and supply chains, and enhance their resilience."
Enterprises actively break through barriers
At the exhibition, it is not difficult to see that home appliance and consumer electronics companies are accelerating their breakthrough, and many companies are actively laying out in fields such as semiconductors, new energy, and smart cars. This shows that home appliance and consumer electronics giants are planning a blueprint for the future: vertically, it is an extension of diversified industries; Horizontally, it is the overall ecological strategy.
With the support of AI, "whole house intelligence" has rapidly evolved into a smart life ecosystem, allowing the home appliance and consumer electronics industry to no longer be limited to specific fields, but extend to the panoramic view of smart life such as smart entertainment, transportation, and education.
In Huawei's over 1500 square meter full scene smart living experience space, the full scene and vehicle driving connectivity experience area, supported by HarmonyOS, attracts many visitors to experience it; Gree Electric Appliances will bring a full range of scenarios, including optoelectronics, energy storage, and home appliances, to the exhibition; Haier Zhijia's Zhijia Brain pioneered the HomeGPT family vertical domain model. This scene highlights the ambition of industry giants towards the smart home market.
From the display results, industry giants have provided a new idea for the development of the smart home industry through the support of AI big models: to use AI full scene ecology to compete as a whole. A more diverse and vivid "smart home" new world and new blue ocean are leaping in front of us.
Smart cars have also become a major highlight of the exhibition, and they have even reached new heights as standard equipment for mainstream home appliance and consumer electronics companies. At the exhibition, Hisense brought a car display solution created by laser technology; Skyworth's first sedan, SKYHOME, is equipped with the world's largest single unit in car display system; Huawei showcased a full range of intelligent cars and the latest infotainment systems.
It is worth mentioning that the exhibition shows that foreign home appliance and consumer electronics companies are increasing their investment in the Chinese market. For example, LG returned to AWE for exhibition several years later, while Panasonic announced that it would increase its investment in the Chinese market again.
Jiang Feng, Executive Director of the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, stated that building a global brand image is an important direction for home appliance enterprises with independent and controllable capabilities to focus on in the future. China is gradually becoming a science and technology innovation center for global home appliances and consumer electronics.
Giants gather at the exhibition
In addition to home appliance companies, upstream and downstream companies in industries such as chips, screen supply chains, and operating systems are also accelerating their "running" on the AI track.
On AWE2024, semiconductor giants such as Huawei HiSilicon, Spreadtrum, and Samsung Electronics showcased their latest AI chips. In addition, screen companies in the screen supply chain are actively laying out AI screens. Huawei, Qingke Information and other companies have brought innovative applications of various software and hardware bases such as the HarmonyOS operating system and modules, which have played a key role in building the AI ecosystem. The JD AI big model is also accelerating its implementation in logistics and other industries.
In terms of the new energy vehicle industry chain, companies such as Sanhua Intelligent Control have brought multiple terminals based on the latest technology, such as in car navigation, intelligent cockpit, and automotive electronic control systems.
AWE2024 is also seen as the official launch of the home appliance and consumer electronics industry in 2024. On the day before the opening of AWE2024, the Action Plan for Promoting Large scale Equipment Renewal and Trade in Consumer Goods was officially announced on March 13th, proposing the implementation of the trade in action for household appliances and other consumer goods.
At the time of the introduction of the national policy of exchanging old for new, the new scenarios of intelligent and green consumption showcased by AWE2024 are expected to further boost consumer confidence. At the exhibition, multiple companies showcased their comprehensive green supply chain and recycling system. Changhong, Gree Electric Appliances, Meizhi, Weiling and other enterprises have all built low-carbon supply chains, including green warehouses, recycled packaging, and waste recycling. On the path of green and energy-saving transformation, multiple enterprises are continuously empowering through technology to achieve dual benefits of environmental protection and economy.
To promote consumption in the home appliance and home furnishing market, JD.com announced at the exhibition that it will jointly invest 3 billion yuan in 2024 and continue to increase subsidies for exchanging old appliances and home furnishings. The company expects that the number of household appliances and old items recycled through trade in will exceed 30 million this year.
"The transformation of the home appliance and consumer electronics industry towards green and low-carbon is accelerating, and enterprises are launching more efficient, energy-saving, low-carbon and environmentally friendly products. Through AWE2024, we see that the home appliance and consumer electronics industry is accelerating the cultivation of new quality productivity and new driving forces for industry development, driving high-quality development through innovation." Xu Dongsheng said.
