CES 2026: What IT leaders need to know
CES is strongly associated with B2C electronics, but the 2026 event includes B2B tech content targeted at enterprises
Although it’s hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES no longer includes the word “consumer” in its name. Organizers now promote the conference formerly known as the “Consumer Electronics Show” as one that “showcases the entire tech landscape at one event … where the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers address the industry’s most relevant issues.”
But is CES a really good place to learn about business IT? If you read our article about B2B sessions at CES 2025, you know that CES hosts B2B and enterprise IT sessions, but business topics aren’t the main focus. Still, there might be good reasons to attend CES if you’re interested in business tech.
Do business leaders attend CES?
At a huge show like CES that covers all things tech, there’s bound to be some interest in business topics. According to the CES website, the CTA asserts that 83% of CES 2025 attendees had a B2B customer base. Additionally, they shared that “64% of attendees have the final or significant influence in buying decisions” within their organizations.
However, while the CTA reports a respectable 6,600 CES 2025 attendees listed enterprise tech as an interest, they only made up ~5% of the 142K attendees. Nevertheless, CES 2026 will host sessions about enterprise technology, which “scales, secures and streamlines” and they’ll even put some of these sessions on the big stage.
CES 2026 Enterprise IT Keynotes
This year, CEOs from some of the biggest brands in enterprise tech will headline CES 2026. But AMD and Lenovo don’t want to just talk about the PC and server tech of today; they want to discuss (you guessed it), artificial intelligence and how it will shape our lives in the future.
AMD Keynote — Dr. Lisa Su, CEO of AMD
In 2023, Dr. Su delivered the opening keynote at CES, where she discussed how her company was powering advances in gaming, healthcare, and of course, artificial intelligence. A lot has changed with AI over the last 3 years. At CES 2026 she will return once again to give the show’s opening keynote.
At CES 2026, Dr. Su will update the world on how the “AMD portfolio of CPUs, GPUs, adaptive computing, and AI software and solutions empowers customers and partners to solve the world’s most important challenges.” Of course, she’s talking about the impact of AI, and the talk promises to explore “future AI solutions – from cloud to enterprise, edge and devices.”
Fun fact: Did you know that Lisa Su is the cousin of Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA (another big player in AI) are first cousins, once removed? Also, Jensen Huang delivered the opening keynote at CES in 2025!
Lenovo Tech World Keynote — Yuanqing Yang, Lenovo Chairman and CEO
While Lenovo does not manufacture the CPUs and GPUs that underpin tech infrastructure, their PCs and servers are powered by components like those made by AMD, and re’s a good chance that there’s Lenovo hardware in an office or data center near you.
At CES 2026, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo, Yuanqing Yang also plans to discuss the impact of AI advances in the future, but he will also talk about some exciting technology use cases in sporting events you might know, or love. In their keynote, Lenovo will highlight “innovations with FIFA, Formula 1®, and a host of others at the world’s biggest tech event.” Lenovo says the event will “celebrate and share our commitment to delivering smarter AI for all by constantly redefining how technology can engage, inspire, and empower.”
The Lenovo keynote will take place in the Sphere, an immersive venue featuring 160,000 square feet of LEDs lining a massive spherical structure that can accommodate 17,000+ people. Think of the venue as an enormous IMAX with an immersive screen that’s as large as four football fields.
More B2B and Enterprise content at CES 2026
In addition to the keynotes, CES will host an additional 13 enterprise-related sessions at CES with a focus on helping “businesses streamline processes, secure infrastructure and drive growth.”
The conference will also include many additional forward-looking tech tracks that might offer some content businesses care about, including:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Robotics
- Retail
- Internet of Things
- Extended Reality (XR)
- Quantum Computing
Should IT professionals attend CES 2026?
It depends on what you want to get out of the event. CES is an enormous event with thousands of vendors, hundreds of thousands of attendees, and the conference spans multiple venues across Las Vegas (better bring some comfy walking shoes!).
While this might be an exciting prospect to have so much tech in one place, the reality is that by trying to cover everything in the tech landscape, CES lacks a clear focus. If what you seek is the excitement and entertainment of a dynamic tech event featuring a vast array of technologies, high-level content spanning both consumer and business focuses, and a healthy dose of chaos, CES might be a good fit.
But if you want an event that caters to you specifically and speaks directly to your needs as an IT professional, where you can dive deeper into B2B topics, you’re probably better off attending a dedicated IT conference.
Who shouldn’t attend CES?
Having personally attended dozens of conferences in Las Vegas, I will also say that the city has a lot to offer, but it’s probably not the best place if you lean towards being more introverted.
At large shows, you’re moving among a sea of bodies at all times. Smaller, more intimate shows might be a better fit if you want to have more personal interactions where you can get to know people in a quiet setting.
Enjoy CES IT content from the comfort of your home
One final note: If all you care about is watching the keynotes from AMD and Lenovo at CES 2026, know that these events will be livestreamed, with recordings posted online. You’ll get the same great content, without the experience of getting up close and personal with thousands of other people watching the same presentation.
