[Insight] CES 2025 Insights: The Era of Collaboration

A Transformation in Business Models Beyond Technology

As always, CES 2025 served as a spectacular showcase of cutting-edge technology and a barometer for the future. Countless analysis articles and attendee reviews have flooded online platforms, highlighting its significance.

However, one crucial trend cutting through this dazzling display of innovation remains under-discussed: the shift in business models from an era of competition to collaboration.

From an Era of Competition to an Era of Collaboration

The most significant trend at CES 2025 was the strengthening of horizontal specialization and collaboration across industries, particularly in semiconductors and other key sectors. As technological complexity increases, the era when a single company or country could vertically integrate every process and monopolize development and production is long gone. Today, specialization and collaboration that leverage individual strengths are essential. No company can survive this vast value chain alone. TSMC in foundries, SK in HBM memory, and NVIDIA in AI semiconductors maintain their formidable competitiveness precisely through strategic partnerships. Here are some notable examples of collaboration witnessed at CES.

NVIDIA’s Collaboration Model: Strengthening Alliances in the Semiconductor Ecosystem

The collaboration trend was vividly showcased in NVIDIA’s announcements at CES 2025. During a keynote speech at Mandalay Bay Arena on January 6, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the next-generation AI semiconductor chip, highlighting a co-development effort with Taiwan’s Micron and MediaTek.

This partnership transcends mere technological development; it represents a strategic effort to fortify the global semiconductor ecosystem. NVIDIA further reinforced Taiwan's semiconductor competitiveness by solidifying alliances with foundry giants like Taiwan's TSMC. This case also offers valuable insights for Korean companies striving to carve out their survival strategies in the fiercely competitive semiconductor industry.

Delta Airlines: A New Paradigm in Experience Marketing and Collaboration

Delta Airlines showcased the potential of experience marketing through collaboration. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the airline announced strategic partnerships with YouTube and Uber during its keynote speech.

• YouTube Partnership: By analyzing passenger data using AI, Delta provides personalized content tailored to individual preferences. In-flight monitors are now integrated with YouTube, allowing passengers to enjoy music and videos that match their tastes.

• Uber Partnership: Delta connects pre- and post-flight transportation with in-flight services, offering a seamless travel experience based on airport commute routes.

  
  

Using the immersive Sphere Dome, Delta's CES presentation allowed attendees to experience a journey from arriving at the airport by car to boarding a flight through 270-degree visuals, wind effects, and the scent of coffee. This multisensory showcase underscored collaboration and experience marketing as key competitive edges in the AI era.

Sony and Honda: Exploring Collaboration in Future Automobiles

Sony and Honda maximized the power of collaboration by unveiling a futuristic car model at CES 2025, transforming vehicles from mere transportation tools into mobile entertainment spaces. By combining their respective strengths, they revolutionized the in-car experience.

Their booth, designed to emphasize the "beauty of emptiness" unique to Asian aesthetics, dramatically impacted with just a single car on display. This wasn't just about technological innovation but also Asia’s leadership in the future automotive industry.

Global Startup Ecosystem: Unlocking Growth Opportunities through Collaboration

Collaboration at CES wasn’t limited to global corporations. In Eureka Park, the gathering place for startups worldwide, a Korean startup less than two years old forged a strategic alliance with NVIDIA. Participating under the K-Startup Pavilion organized by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, Greneta, a company specializing in sub-1MB lightweight 3D object development, caught the attention of NVIDIA’s vice chairman, leading to an on-the-spot partnership proposal and MOU signing.

The Taiwan Startup Pavilion (TTA) and Seoul National University also hosted a joint pitching stage, creating a collaboration platform between Korean and Taiwanese startups. This initiative, led by The Welcome.Inc. garnered high praise for its strategy of encouraging startups to engage beyond their booths and maximize the impact of their participation in Eureka Park.

The Era of Collaboration: A Key Trend in Global Industries

The CES 2025 became a hub of collaboration and alliances, from the keynote stages to the exhibition halls. As stated earlier, no single company’s competitiveness can dominate the global market independently in today’s interconnected world.

The decline of Japan's semiconductor industry and the rise of Taiwan as a dominant player exemplify this shift. In his book The Secret of TSMC's World No. 1, Lin Hong-Wen attributes Japan’s fall to rigid isolationism and lack of globalized management, while Taiwan thrived by embracing a division of labor. The success of ARM in overtaking Intel in the smartphone market also stems from this evolution towards specialized collaboration.

Lessons for Companies

Exhibitions mirror industrial trends, and CES 2025 offered critical insights into the global movement toward collaboration in semiconductors and IT-related fields.

Global companies must now maximize their unique strengths and proactively pursue collaborative opportunities to enhance their international presence.

This year’s CES reinforced the timeless truth: continuously honing one’s unique competitiveness is the only way to join the ranks of global alliances and thrive in the era of collaboration.

(C)VM Consulting