AI Industry: intel and amd Moves

CES 2026 showcased a notable trend in consumer AI with the emergence of holographic anime companions. Razer unveiled Project Ava, an AI gaming assistant featuring a Kira avatar displayed on a 5.5-inch screen within a cylinder speaker. Powered by Grok, Project Ava interprets its surroundings with a camera and is slated for a second-half 2026 launch, marketed as a "Friend for Life." Other companies like Lepro Ami and Holo-chan also presented similar interactive desktop holograms, signaling a growing market for agreeable AI-powered companions. In the enterprise sector, Optimove launched its AI Marketing Tools Hub on January 8, 2026, designed to empower marketers with greater speed and precision. This hub integrates popular AI tools such as ChatGPT for analysis, Claude for report summaries, Perplexity for real-time intelligence, and Gemini for multi-format data analysis. This development aligns with a broader transformation in sales and marketing across industries, where AI is blending human expertise with new capabilities. reprai Inc., a company focused on AI-driven operating models, recently secured $1 million in funding, underscoring this shift. The demand for AI is also reshaping the hardware landscape. Intel is heavily investing in new AI chips, as highlighted by Jim Johnson at CES on January 8, 2026, aiming to expand their use beyond laptops to devices like robots. The company faces competition from AMD and Qualcomm, who also announced new AI-optimized chips. Oversonic Robotics is already adopting Intel's Core Ultra 3 chip for its robots, citing cost efficiency and faster local processing. Meanwhile, Nvidia, having recently reached a $5 trillion market cap, made significant announcements at CES 2026, including DLSS 4.5 for gaming and Alpamayo, an open-source AI model for autonomous vehicles. The ripple effects of AI demand extend to the energy and PC markets. Clean energy stocks are experiencing a strong performance in 2026, driven by the increasing electricity needs of AI, while oil companies face pressure from declining prices. The International Energy Agency projects a 40% increase in global electricity demand, with renewable energy, particularly solar, expected to grow rapidly through 2035. Concurrently, the PC market is seeing rising prices for RAM and SSDs due to high demand for high-bandwidth memory from AI data centers, impacting major brands and potentially future gaming consoles. As AI agents become more autonomous, security concerns are also taking center stage. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a Request for Information, seeking public input on the security of AI agents. NIST aims to gather insights into vulnerabilities, technical controls, and research priorities to develop guidelines that mitigate risks like hijacking and data poisoning, ensuring public safety in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Key Takeaways

• Razer introduced Project Ava at CES 2026, an AI gaming assistant featuring a Kira avatar, powered by Grok, with a planned launch in the second half of 2026.
• CES 2026 showcased a trend of holographic anime companions, with Razer, Lepro Ami, and Holo-chan presenting interactive desktop holograms.
• Optimove launched its AI Marketing Tools Hub on January 8, 2026, integrating ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini to enhance marketing campaign speed and precision.
• Intel is focusing on new AI chips, like the Core Ultra 3, for devices beyond laptops, competing with AMD and Qualcomm in the AI-optimized chip market.
• Nvidia announced DLSS 4.5 for gaming and the Alpamayo AI model for autonomous vehicles at CES 2026, following its recent achievement of a $5 trillion market cap.
• Clean energy stocks are rising in 2026 due to growing AI demand, contrasting with oil prices that saw their steepest annual decline since 2020.
• The PC market faces increasing RAM and SSD prices driven by high demand for high-bandwidth memory from AI data centers, impacting laptops, gaming, and future consoles.
• AI is transforming sales and marketing across industries, with reprai Inc. securing $1 million in funding for its AI-driven operating models.
• The International Energy Agency predicts a 40% increase in global electricity demand, forecasting rapid growth in renewable energy, especially solar, through 2035.
• NIST is seeking public input on AI agent security to develop guidelines and mitigate risks like hijacking and data poisoning for autonomous AI systems.

CES 2026 features many holographic anime companions

CES 2026 showcased a new trend of holographic anime companions, often called waifu holograms. Razer introduced Project Ava, an AI gaming assistant with a Kira avatar that interacts using a camera. Other companies like Lepro Ami and Holo-chan also presented desktop holograms. These devices offer interactive anime waifu avatars that can chat and provide style tips. The growing popularity of AI-powered chatbots makes these agreeable companions a clear trend at the convention.

Razer unveils AI anime companion Project Ava at CES

At CES 2026, Razer introduced Project Ava, an AI anime companion that provides gaming feedback. This device features an anime girl named Kira, one of five companions designed by Animation Inc., displayed on a 5.5-inch screen within a cylinder speaker. Project Ava, powered by Grok, can interpret its surroundings with a camera and has physical volume and mute buttons. Razer aims to launch Project Ava in the second half of 2026, marketing it as a "Friend for Life" and a "24/7 digital partner."

Optimove releases AI Marketing Tools Hub for marketers

Optimove launched its new AI Marketing Tools Hub on January 8, 2026, to help marketers use artificial intelligence more effectively. This comprehensive resource supports Optimove's "Positionless Marketing" approach, allowing teams to work with greater speed, precision, and independence. The hub offers a curated selection of AI tools for various marketing functions, such as customer segmentation and campaign optimization. It also provides educational resources and a community forum to empower marketers to gain insights and create campaigns faster.

Optimove launches AI hub for faster marketing campaigns

Optimove announced its AI Marketing Tools Hub on January 8, 2026, to help marketing teams work faster and more independently. This hub supports "Positionless Marketing" by allowing team members to generate insights, create content, and optimize campaigns without delays. Rony Vexelman, VP of Marketing at Optimove, stated the hub cuts through noise by offering practical, curated AI tools. It includes 13 tools like ChatGPT for analysis, Claude for report summaries, Perplexity for real-time intelligence, and Gemini for multi-format data analysis. These tools empower marketers to make quicker decisions and respond to customer behavior in real-time.

Clean energy stocks rise due to AI demand

Clean energy stocks are continuing their strong performance into 2026, driven by growing demand for artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, oil companies face pressure as oil prices dropped, marking their steepest annual decline since 2020. Green stocks were market leaders last year as interest rates became lower. The International Energy Agency predicts renewable energy, especially solar power, will grow rapidly through 2035. This growth is due to a projected 40% increase in global electricity demand, making clean energy a key investment focus.

Intel bets on new AI chips for future growth

Intel is focusing on new chips to power the future of artificial intelligence, as explained by Jim Johnson at CES in Las Vegas on January 8, 2026. The company plans to expand its chip use beyond laptops to devices like robots. These new chips will improve PC battery life and boost AI performance. Intel faces competition from AMD and Qualcomm, who also announced new AI-optimized chips. Oversonic Robotics is already switching to Intel's Core Ultra 3 chip for its robots, citing lower costs and faster local processing. Intel's shares saw significant gains in 2025, showing investor confidence in its new direction.

AI transforms sales and marketing across industries

Artificial intelligence is changing how sales and marketing work across many industries, starting January 8, 2026. Companies in sectors like manufacturing and pharmaceuticals are now rethinking their traditional methods, which have become less effective. This shift is similar to how digitalization changed businesses decades ago. In the pharmaceutical industry, AI will blend human expertise with new capabilities rather than replacing sales teams entirely. Didem Aral, CEO of reprai, believes this transformation is unavoidable. reprai Inc., a company focused on AI-driven operating models, recently secured $1 million in funding.

AI demand causes PC memory prices to rise

The PC market faces challenges as prices for RAM and SSDs are increasing due to high demand from AI data centers. This shortage affects laptops and PCs from major brands like Lenovo and Dell. The timing is difficult because many businesses are upgrading to Windows 11 after Windows 10 reached its end of life. Experts believe this memory shortage might be permanent, as silicon wafer capacity shifts towards high-bandwidth memory for AI. This trend will also impact the DIY market, PC gaming, and could lead to higher prices for future gaming consoles like the Xbox and PlayStation.

NIST seeks public input on AI agent security

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, is asking for public feedback on the security of artificial intelligence agents. NIST posted a Request for Information on the Federal Register, seeking insights into vulnerabilities and safeguards for these AI systems. The agency wants comments on security threats, technical controls, and research priorities to help its Center for AI Standards and Innovation. AI agents can act on their own with little human oversight, creating new risks like hijacking and data poisoning. NIST aims to develop guidelines to reduce these security risks and ensure public safety.

Nvidia unveils new AI tech at CES 2026

Nvidia, a leading AI chip designer, made several key announcements at CES 2026, held from January 6 to 9. The company, which recently reached a $5 trillion market cap, showcased advancements in gaming and autonomous vehicles. For gaming, Nvidia introduced DLSS 4.5, offering 6x dynamic multi-frame generation to boost frame rates and improve image quality. They also revealed G-Sync Pulsar monitors with over 1000 Hz refresh rates. In autonomous vehicles, Nvidia launched Alpamayo, an open-source AI model designed for human-like decision-making in self-driving cars. These innovations aim to extend Nvidia's strong position in the AI market.

Sources

• CES 2026 Really Wants You to Own a Holographic Anime Girlfriend
• I spent 20 minutes with Razer's AI anime girlfriend, and now I need a shower
• Optimove Launches Comprehensive AI Marketing Tools Hub to Power Positionless Marketing
• Optimove Launches AI Marketing Tools Hub to Support Positionless Marketing
• Clean Energy Stocks Extend Rally on AI Demand as Oil Falters
• Intel hopes its new chip can be the future of AI. An executive explains how
• AI Is Changing the Rules of Sales and Marketing
• The PC market braces for an AI-driven storm
• NIST Asking Insights Into Agentic AI Security
• Nvidia After $5 Trillion: Has the AI Trade Really Peaked?