WHEN:Tuesday, January 7 through Friday, January 10, 2025

WHERE:Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

WHO:  EMD Electronics

WHAT: EMD Electronics, the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the U.S. and Canada, will debut “It’s a Materials World” at CES 2025. This year’s activities highlight the crucial role of materials innovation, better known as Materials IntelligenceTM, in semiconductor development.

Presentations in Booth #9005:

The Human in an AI World 

Tuesday, January 7, 3:00-4:00 pm
Part 1: “Why Human Experts Matter More than Ever in the Wave of Creative Machines”
James Kugler, CEO of EMD Digital and Chief Digital Officer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Alex Komoroske, Former Head of Corporate Strategy at Stripe and Founder of Common Tools. This discussion will highlight the critical role of human oversight in ensuring AI trustworthiness, particularly in high-stakes scientific applications where precision is paramount.

Part 2: ”The Gold Standard in Cyber-Physical Trust”
James Kugler, CEO of EMD Digital and Chief Digital Officer and Laura Matz, Chief Science and Technology Officer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 

This session will introduce a secure cyber-physical trust platform, which revolutionizes how organizations ensure product authenticity and transparency throughout their value chains. Built on Web 3.0-powered technology, this platform enables the creation of digital twins to ensure product authenticity in a world where counterfeiting and product safety are paramount in staying competitive.  

Daily live product demos will be available at the booth

Wearing the Future: Materials & Innovation in AR/VR Technology
Wednesday, January 8, 3:00-4:00 pm
John Langan, CTO, EMD Electronics; Richard Harding, Head of AR/VR Business Development, EMD Electronics; Antti Sunnari, CEO and Co-Founder, Dispelix; Barry Silverstein, Sr. Director of Optics and Display Special Projects, Meta; Edward Tang, CEO and Founder, Avegant. 

This panel will explore the materials and technologies driving the next generation of AR/VR wearables, emphasizing innovations in lightweight, flexible, and high-performance materials that balance form with function.

The Impact of DE&I on Innovation and Growth

Thursday, January 10, 3:00-4:00 pm
Renee Connolly, Chief Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Officer, Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany; Dan Drellich, US Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Business Partnering, EMD Electronics; Charlene Li, Founder & CEO, Quantum Networks Group.

This session will focus on the critical role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) in driving innovation and growth. of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) in driving innovation and grow

M Ventures, the strategic, corporate venture capital fund of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, portfolio companies will also demonstrate the latest advancements in technologies including: 

• Printable conductive links for PCBs

• AI accelerator chip

• Holographic imaging technology

• Optical sensors

• EEG sensing headphones

Program Highlights

Panel Discussion:  Embracing AI: Revolutionizing the Future of Work

Dan Drellich, US Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Business Partnering

Panel Discussion:  From Risk to Resilience: Supply Chain Playbook for Innovators
Laura Matz, Chief Science and Technology Officer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Sparking Curiosity Activities

In support of EMD Electronics’ vision to spark curiosity, the company will host several activities designed to engage and inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators. Twice daily demonstrations and hands-on experiments focused on AI will be held at the EMD Electronics booth from Tuesday through Thursday. Additionally, on Friday, January 10, EMD Electronics will visit Evelyn Stuckey Elementary School to lead fourth grade students in these experiments using scientific equipment.