{"id":9975,"date":"2026-09-03T09:47:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T07:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/?p=9975"},"modified":"2026-09-05T00:36:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T22:36:05","slug":"ifa-2026-in-berlin-what-companies-need-to-know-about-ai-robotics-and-the-global-market-before-the-show-opens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/en\/ifa-2026-in-berlin-what-companies-need-to-know-about-ai-robotics-and-the-global-market-before-the-show-opens","title":{"rendered":"IFA 2026 in Berlin. What Companies Need to Know About AI, Robotics, and the Global Market Before the Show Opens"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6>Already clearly formulated two days before the official opening.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: The facade of Messe Berlin at dusk with the large-format IFA key visual and the lettering &#8220;The future is now,&#8221; in the foreground the large IFA logo lettering, still fully wrapped in protective film | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER INTRO --><br \/>\nEven before the halls of Messe Berlin open to visitors, an entire room full of journalists and analysts is already seated in front of an empty stage. As an accredited journalist and analyst, I was there on September 2, 2026, two days before the official opening of the trade fair, when the IFA Opening Press Conference set the tone for the five days of the show to come. What was announced there was far more than a product announcement, it was a first, well-founded outlook on what companies can actually expect from IFA 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Under this year&#8217;s motto &#8220;The Future Is Now,&#8221; CEO Leif Lindner and GFU Managing Director Carine Chardon painted a picture of an industry in upheaval: artificial intelligence growing faster than any technology before it, a global market growing despite weak sentiment, and robotics moving from demonstration to everyday device. This article appears ahead of the fair&#8217;s opening as advance coverage; it summarizes what was said on stage, contextualizes the figures mentioned, and supplements them with independent sources.<\/p>\n<p>What looks at first glance like an ordinary industry press conference is, on closer inspection, a snapshot of the entire tech world at the midpoint of 2026: caught between record investment, palpable unease, and the question of how quickly societies can actually keep pace with the speed of change.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>IFA 2026 opened under the motto &#8220;The Future Is Now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>More than 220,000 visitors and around 2,000 exhibitors are expected.<\/li>\n<li>The opening speech framed AI and robotics as an accelerated epochal shift.<\/li>\n<li>In parallel, GfK\/NIQ presented current market figures on the global economy.<\/li>\n<li>The article combines personal impressions from the scene with researched sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This article explains who is behind IFA, why AI investment is currently blowing past every historical benchmark, how enthusiasm and concern are growing side by side, what the current market figures really mean, and why robotics is no longer just a show.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px;\"><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<section  class=\"content-section      mb-20-xs mb-30-sm\"    >\n\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row  \">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t[vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 1 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">A motto with ambition<\/h2>\n<p>Even from a distance, it&#8217;s impossible to miss what the organizers have committed to this year at the Berlin exhibition tower. A large-format key visual bearing the lettering &#8220;The Future Is Now&#8221; adorns the facade, flanked by advertising from major exhibitors. Not a restrained motto, but a clear statement: what is shown in the halls is not a vision of the future, but already the present.<\/p>\n<p>This statement ran through the entire opening speech. In her welcome address, GFU Managing Director Carine Chardon explained that the pace of technological development is now so fast that the future, in the literal sense, is no longer on the horizon but has already arrived. She emphasized that technology alone does not create progress; what matters is that people can understand it, try it out, and help shape it. That, she said, is exactly IFA&#8217;s ambition: not just to showcase products, but to enable understanding.<\/p>\n<p>The sheer scale of the event underscores this ambition. For 2026, IFA expects more than 220,000 visitors from over 140 countries, around 2,000 exhibitors, and an exhibition space of roughly 190,000 square meters.<sup>[1]<\/sup> Last year, the fair was also honored as Europe&#8217;s best international trade fair at the AEO Excellence Awards, a signal that IFA has evolved not only in visitor numbers but also in international recognition.<sup>[1]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-001.jpg\" alt=\"Stage projection with the large-format lettering IFA Innovation For All on two huge screens, a speaker stands small and dark in backlight in front of the right-hand screen, above which several small, angled blue display modules hang as stage decoration\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>The message filled the entire stage, long before the first hall opened.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Telling, too, was the view of the facade alone, before a single hall had even been entered: the official opening would not follow for another two days, yet the fair&#8217;s central message was already fully in place.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>The motto of IFA 2026 is &#8220;The Future Is Now.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>More than 220,000 visitors from over 140 countries are expected.<sup>[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Around 2,000 exhibitors are showcasing their innovations across roughly 190,000 square meters.<sup>[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>IFA was named Europe&#8217;s best international trade fair in 2025.<sup>[1]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Independent reporting confirms the central role of AI and robotics in this year&#8217;s edition.<sup>[2]<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Who stands behind this ambition and brings it to life is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 2 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">The people behind the stage<\/h2>\n<p>Three people shaped the Opening Press Conference: host Chris Brow, presenting for the second year in a row, IFA CEO Leif Lindner, and GFU Managing Director Carine Chardon. For IFA, the name GFU stands for Consumer &#038; Home Electronics GmbH, the brand owner of IFA and the organizer behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Carine Chardon has served on GFU&#8217;s management board since October 1, 2025, and in sole charge since November 1, 2025. A trained lawyer specializing in media law, she brings years of experience from the digital industry association ZVEI and the German TV Platform, where she was most recently responsible for the trade associations for consumer electronics and household appliances.<sup>[3]<\/sup> On stage, she made clear that the market is stronger than many assume despite subdued sentiment, and that targeted innovations, ones that make everyday life easier, operate efficiently, or open up new uses, are crucial for growth.<\/p>\n<p>Leif Lindner, in turn, placed current developments in historical context. He referred to an assessment by DeepMind CEO and Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis, according to which the coming technological shift could be ten times bigger, and possibly ten times faster, than the Industrial Revolution.<sup>[4]<\/sup> Unlike previous technological upheavals, Lindner said, this time no generation is left with time to adapt, which is why IFA sees its role as a place of first contact with new technology as more important today than ever.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-002.jpg\" alt=\"Three-part photo collage: top left, a selfie with Chris Brow, Carine Chardon, and Leif Lindner right after the opening speech; bottom left, a selfie of the journalist in the still-empty press room before the conference began, with the stage setup and IFA\/GFU branding in the background; right, a stage photo of the three speakers live in front of the Innovation For All projection\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>Three perspectives, one shared message.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the press conference, host Chris Brow spontaneously asked the audience for a phone to take a group photo on stage with the three speakers, a small, unscripted moment that lightened up an otherwise very formal event.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>Chris Brow hosted the IFA press conference for the second year running.<\/li>\n<li>Carine Chardon has led GFU in sole management since November 2025.<sup>[3]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Leif Lindner cited Demis Hassabis&#8217;s assessment of a tenfold Industrial Revolution.<sup>[4]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Chardon emphasized the importance of targeted, everyday-relevant innovation for growth.<\/li>\n<li>IFA sees its role as the place of first, direct contact with new technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Just how seriously this assessment is meant becomes clear when you look at current investment figures around artificial intelligence. That is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 3 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">When investment blows past every historical benchmark<\/h2>\n<p>One line from the opening speech stuck out in particular: worldwide investment in artificial intelligence has now surpassed the combined cost of the Manhattan Project and the Apollo moon program, and growth continues to accelerate. Global AI spending for 2026 is expected to exceed 2.5 trillion US dollars.<\/p>\n<p>This figure can be confirmed independently. Market researcher Gartner puts worldwide AI spending for 2026 at around 2.52 trillion US dollars, a 44 percent increase over the previous year, driven above all by the expansion of AI-optimized server infrastructure.<sup>[5]<\/sup> Journalistic contextualizations of this sum make the scale even more vivid: the AI investment forecast for 2026 significantly exceeds even history&#8217;s largest scientific and infrastructure megaprojects.<sup>[6]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>The time frame Lindner referenced can also be substantiated. Hassabis himself has repeated his assessment publicly several times, emphasizing that the coming shift could unfold within a single decade rather than over a century, as the Industrial Revolution did.<sup>[7]<\/sup> For an audience of journalists, analysts, and industry insiders who observe exactly this acceleration every day, this was no mere turn of phrase, but a sober assessment of their own work.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-003.jpg\" alt=\"Stage projection with the lettering Speed of change and the addition Now change is exponentially, next to it a steeply rising growth curve on a red background, the speaker stands small in front of it with arms outstretched\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>A single technology, bigger than two centuries-defining projects combined.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This scale explains why hardly a single talk at IFA this year went by without a reference to artificial intelligence, from the opening speech to the closing market analysis.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>Global AI spending for 2026 is estimated at around 2.5 trillion US dollars.<sup>[5]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>That corresponds to a 44 percent increase over the previous year.<sup>[5]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The sum exceeds the combined cost of the Manhattan Project and the Apollo program.<sup>[6]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Demis Hassabis compares the coming shift to a tenfold Industrial Revolution.<sup>[7]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Unlike earlier upheavals, this one is expected to unfold over years rather than generations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As large as these figures are, they only tell half the story. How enthusiasm and concern are growing side by side among the public is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 4 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Between enthusiasm and concern<\/h2>\n<p>In her speech, Carine Chardon openly addressed a contradiction running through the entire industry: while many people see artificial intelligence as a tool to solve humanity&#8217;s biggest problems, others are experiencing what researchers now call &#8220;automation anxiety,&#8221; the fear that technology is changing or replacing jobs faster than people can adapt.<\/p>\n<p>This observation aligns with current data. Reports from spring 2026 record a marked rise in tech-sector layoffs alongside growing employee uncertainty, a phenomenon now discussed under exactly this term.<sup>[8]<\/sup> At the same time, Chardon pointed to a concrete example in her speech: at several university graduation ceremonies this year, speeches celebrating artificial intelligence were booed by students, a small but telling signal of how divided public perception has become.<\/p>\n<p>A second example mentioned in the speech concerns the physical infrastructure behind the AI revolution: the data centers required to train and run large models. More and more municipalities and resident groups are pushing back against their construction, citing energy and water consumption as well as the sheer physical scale of these facilities. Independent reporting strongly confirms this trend: in 2026 alone, the US saw coordinated protests at well over a hundred locations across more than 40 states, while numerous municipalities delayed or halted construction projects altogether.<sup>[9]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-04.jpg\" alt=\"Stage projection with the large-format lettering Trust cannot be downloaded on a yellow background, the speaker stands small to the right next to a second screen with the IFA logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>Trust is not created by claims, but by experience.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For Chardon, this is precisely the core of IFA&#8217;s mission: to create places where people can experience technology directly instead of just reading about it, because trust cannot be downloaded, it is earned through hands-on experience.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>&#8220;Automation anxiety&#8221; describes growing concerns about job security amid AI acceleration.<sup>[8]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>AI-friendly graduation speeches were booed at several universities in 2026.<\/li>\n<li>Municipalities are increasingly resisting the construction of new data centers.<sup>[9]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>In 2026, the US saw coordinated protests at more than a hundred locations across over 40 states.<sup>[9]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>IFA sees itself as a place where trust is built through direct experience rather than assertion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>How this contradictory mood actually plays out in hard market figures was shown next in the market analysis by GfK and NIQ. That is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 5 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">The market figures for the first half of the year<\/h2>\n<p>After the opening speeches, market researcher Karim Chabon took the stage to contextualize the current GfK\/NIQ figures for the first half of 2026. His central message up front: the market is stronger than sentiment would suggest.<\/p>\n<p>Global revenue from technology and durable consumer goods, excluding North America and Russia, reached around 430 billion US dollars in the first half of 2026, up 6 percent year over year.<sup>[10]<\/sup> However, this figure is largely a currency effect: stripping out the weaker US dollar, real growth in local currencies stands at 2.4 percent. This assessment aligns with the current outlook from the International Monetary Fund, which puts global economic growth for 2026 at 3.0 percent, alongside rising global inflation of 4.7 percent, which is not expected to fall back to 3.9 percent until 2027.<sup>[10][11]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>One figure from the presentation stood out in particular: every second end consumer at IFA is now under 35 years old, evidence that technology is increasingly being driven not only by an established buyer base but by a young, digitally native generation. Equally striking was the regional shift in market forces. While established markets such as Western Europe, and especially China, are suffering under energy prices, inflation, and weak consumer sentiment, regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and emerging Asia outside China are growing by double digits. The table below summarizes the key growth rates for the first half of 2026 by region.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-06.jpg\" alt=\"Stage projection with the large-format lettering Every second end-consumer at IFA is under 35 on a green background, next to it a small photo of two young fair visitors, the speaker stands small to the right in front of a second green screen with the IFA logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>A young target audience is carrying a growing market.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"xrs-table-wrap\" style=\"width: 100%;max-width: 100%;margin: 16px 0\">\n\n.xrs-responsive-table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 0; }<br \/>.xrs-table-cell { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 6px; text-align: left; font-size: 13px; }<br \/>.xrs-responsive-table thead tr { background-color: #f2f2f2; }<br \/>@media (max-width: 600px) {<br \/>.xrs-table-cell { font-size: 12px; padding: 5px; }<br \/>}<br \/>@media (max-width: 420px) {<br \/>.xrs-table-cell { font-size: 11px; padding: 4px; }<br \/>}<br \/>\n<table class=\"xrs-responsive-table\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Region<\/th>\n<th class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Growth H1 2026 (local currency)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Middle East &amp; Africa<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">+15 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Emerging Asia (excl. China)<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">+12 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Developed Asia<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">+6 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Latin America<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">+6 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">Eastern Europe<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">+1 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">China<\/td>\n<td class=\"xrs-table-cell\">-5 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h6>Six regions, six very different trajectories.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nTable: Regional growth rates in the global technology and durable consumer goods market, first half of 2026, currency-adjusted | Source: GfK\/NIQ market presentation, IFA Opening Press Conference, Berlin, September 2, 2026<sup>[10]<\/sup> | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to market researchers, this shift is not a temporary blip but reflects structural changes in global supply chains, in particular the growing role of Southeast Asian countries as exporters of AI technology and hardware components.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>The global tech market grew 6 percent nominally in H1 2026, 2.4 percent in real terms.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The IMF expects 3.0 percent global growth for 2026 alongside 4.7 percent inflation.<sup>[11]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Every second end consumer at IFA is under 35 years old.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The Middle East and Africa grew fastest at 15 percent, while China saw a 5 percent decline.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>The shift is considered structural, not a short-term fluctuation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These figures, however, only describe where growth is happening, not how. Why consumers are spending more despite lower unit sales is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 6 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Fewer units, more value<\/h2>\n<p>Perhaps the most surprising insight from the market presentation concerned not region, but buying behavior itself. According to Chabon, growth is currently driven not by more consumption but by better products: consumers are buying fewer devices overall, but spending more, deliberately, on higher-quality, feature-rich models.<\/p>\n<p>This effect is especially clear with mobile phones, where unit sales fell by 5 percent while revenue rose by 4 percent, an almost complete offset through higher-value models. The shift is even more pronounced in individual product categories, where premium segments outpace the overall market several times over: freestanding refrigerators with built-in styling grew by 24 percent, steam-function washing machines by 17 percent, espresso and portafilter machines by 21 percent, robot vacuums by 18 percent, AI PCs with local processors likewise by 18 percent, and large-format TVs of 75 inches and up by 14 percent.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the way purchasing decisions come about is changing. According to GfK\/NIQ, a third of consumers now use AI search tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini for product research; at 16 percent, these tools have already overtaken classic social media and streaming apps as a research channel, a shift likely to put significant medium-term pressure on traditional price-comparison portals and their revenue models.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-07.jpg\" alt=\"Large-format stage screen with a live photo of a young fair visitor wearing a white mixed-reality headset with controllers, shown against the backdrop of an exhibition hall, the speaker stands small to the right in front of a yellow screen with the IFA logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>Premium beats mass, across every category.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For manufacturers and retailers, this signals a clear shift in course: it is no longer the breadth of the product range that drives growth today, but the ability to position individual products with tangible added value.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>The market is currently growing through product value, not unit volume.<\/li>\n<li>Premium refrigerators, steam washing machines, and espresso machines are growing by double digits.<\/li>\n<li>AI PCs and large TVs are among the strongest individual segments.<\/li>\n<li>A third of consumers already use AI search tools for product research.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>AI search tools have already overtaken social media as a research channel.<sup>[10]<\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the most striking premium segments was robotics itself, a topic at IFA that reaches far beyond market figures. That is the subject of the next chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 7 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Robots are conquering everyday life<\/h2>\n<p>Hardly any topic ran through the entire press conference as clearly as robotics. Lindner described a clear three-step progression: artificial intelligence first learned to generate, then to reason, then to collaborate with humans, and is now taking the next step by beginning to act on its own. Research labs worldwide are working on what are known as world models, systems that don&#8217;t just process language but learn how physical objects behave in space, the foundation for the next generation of robots.<\/p>\n<p>This is directly experienceable on the show floor itself: at RoboCup, autonomous robots compete in live soccer matches, while at &#8220;Robots on the Runway,&#8221; humanoid and entertainment robots demonstrate the interplay of technology, movement, and entertainment on their own stage. What looks like pure showmanship is, according to Lindner, actually cutting-edge applied research into autonomous decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>Just how fast this market is actually developing is shown by current industry figures from China, the world&#8217;s leading production hub for humanoid robots. Production there is expected to grow by up to 94 percent in 2026, with manufacturers Unitree and AgiBot alone accounting for around 80 percent of the global market share.<sup>[12]<\/sup> Asked directly by the audience, Lindner confirmed that during a visit to a Chinese robot training center, he himself had been surprised by how short the timespan between a product idea and market readiness has become, while Japanese and Korean manufacturers are increasingly catching up.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-08.jpg\" alt=\"Stage projection with the lettering The next generation of robotics, next to it a live photo of two humanoid soccer robots wearing jerseys numbered 2 and 3 on a playing field at RoboCup, the speaker stands small to the right in front of a green screen with the IFA logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>From a language tool to a system that acts.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Running alongside the large, visible robots is a quieter but equally important trend: edge AI, energy-efficient AI models that run directly on end devices without a cloud connection, which Lindner says could trigger a new hardware super-cycle, spanning everything from sensors and wearables to entirely new device categories.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>According to Lindner, AI passes through four stages: generating, reasoning, collaborating, acting.<\/li>\n<li>RoboCup and &#8220;Robots on the Runway&#8221; make autonomous robotics directly experienceable at IFA.<\/li>\n<li>China&#8217;s production of humanoid robots is expected to grow by up to 94 percent in 2026.<sup>[12]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Unitree and AgiBot together account for around 80 percent of the global market share.<sup>[12]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Edge AI is seen as a possible trigger for a new hardware super-cycle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As fast as this development is moving, it also raises questions, ones that on stage were no longer posed only by the speakers, but directly by the audience. That is the subject of the closing chapter.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CHAPTER 8 START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Open questions from the audience<\/h2>\n<p>The Q&#038;A portion of the press conference made clear that the figures and visions presented did not go unchallenged. One journalist asked specifically about the circular economy and recycling, prompting Lindner and Chardon to point to the collaboration with partners such as Cradle to Cradle, as well as an example project from the IFA Next area: a 3D printer whose resulting material waste is automatically fed back into the same production process.<\/p>\n<p>This question touches a sore spot for the industry. Current EU statistics show that in 2023, only around 37.5 percent of electrical and electronic waste generated in the European Union was properly collected, measured against the weight of devices placed on the market in the three preceding years.<sup>[13]<\/sup> E-waste therefore remains one of Europe&#8217;s fastest-growing waste streams, a context that places the individual projects mentioned on stage within a much larger tension.<\/p>\n<p>Another question concerned European regulation, specifically the region&#8217;s lag behind Asia and North America in autonomous driving. Chardon openly admitted that European rules are currently complex and not always coherent, which is why the entire industry is advocating for less bureaucracy and clearer frameworks. As a concrete example, she pointed to a program item announced for Friday featuring the German Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernization, who will discuss exactly these issues together with the German household appliance industry association. To close out the Q&#038;A, the conversation even turned to flying cars: Chinese manufacturer XPeng is showing a flying car model at IFA that, for safety reasons, is not permitted to fly, though Lindner expects an actual demonstration flight in Germany could be possible at one of the upcoming editions.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-09.jpg\" alt=\"Split stage screen: left, a live photo of a person wearing a VR headset with controllers in a bright room; right, a tunnel-ride visualization with white streaks of light; between them the speaker stands small in front of another screen with the IFA logo\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>Mobility and autonomous technologies remain an open construction site.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nPhoto: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Photographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This image, a logo still wrapped in plastic in front of a trade fair whose central messages had already been fully communicated, sums up the first press day fittingly: officially, nothing had yet begun; in substance, a great deal had already been said.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>Only around 37.5 percent of Europe&#8217;s e-waste was properly collected in 2023.<sup>[13]<\/sup><\/li>\n<li>On the circular economy, IFA points to partners such as Cradle to Cradle and projects from IFA Next.<\/li>\n<li>The industry criticizes complex and inconsistent EU regulation, for instance around autonomous driving.<\/li>\n<li>On Friday, the German Digital Minister will discuss these questions with the household appliance industry.<\/li>\n<li>XPeng is showing a flying car; a demonstration flight in Germany is considered possible, but still open.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That brought the Q&#038;A to a close, but not the first press day of IFA 2026. How these impressions come together in moving images is shown in the following video.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- COLLECTION \/ VIDEO \/ CONCLUSION CHAPTER START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">The press conference in video recap<\/h2>\n<p>The preceding chapters have contextualized the key statements, figures, and open questions from the Opening Press Conference. How the atmosphere in the room actually felt, which emphasis Lindner and Chardon placed in their speeches, and how the audience reacted to individual statements can be experienced most directly in the accompanying video.<\/p>\n<p>The following video is a self-produced recap of the Opening Press Conference, filmed on site in Berlin and published ahead of the fair&#8217;s opening. It shows excerpts from the opening speeches by Leif Lindner and Carine Chardon, the market figures presentation by Karim Chabon, and scenes from the subsequent audience Q&#038;A.<\/p>\n<div style=\"height: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-9975-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" poster=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-vide-poster.jpg\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-video.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-video.mp4\">https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/visoric-ifa-p2026-ress-day-video.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 10px\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nVideo: Stage projection at the IFA Opening Press Conference 2026 with the theme &#8220;Innovation For All,&#8221; Videographer Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Readers who have gone through each chapter of this article will find many of the statements mentioned here in their original spoken form in the video, from Lindner&#8217;s historical comparison to Chabon&#8217;s sober framing of the market figures. The direct comparison between the spoken word and the written account shows just how much nuance a live speech carries, nuance that is easily lost in a plain transcript.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>The video is an original recap of the Opening Press Conference.<\/li>\n<li>It features original footage of the speeches by Lindner, Chardon, and Chabon.<\/li>\n<li>The audience Q&#038;A is also documented.<\/li>\n<li>Filming, editing, and analysis were done directly from the accredited press seat.<\/li>\n<li>The video is published ahead of the fair&#8217;s opening; a second piece will follow during the show.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From the first glimpse of the shrink-wrapped facade to the last question from the audience: the first press day of IFA 2026 showed how closely technological acceleration, economic reality, and social concern are now intertwined, a connection that reaches far beyond a single trade fair. Once the halls open, a second piece with direct impressions from the ongoing show will follow in this space.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 20px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- CALL TO ACTION CHAPTER START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">From observation to your own strategy<\/h2>\n<p>What is described on the IFA stage as a global trend, artificial intelligence, robotics, edge AI, and the shift from merely observing to actively shaping real and digital spaces, is for many companies no longer an abstract vision of the future, but a concrete strategic question: where does the first step pay off, and how can it be implemented reliably.<\/p>\n<p>The expert team at VISORIC GmbH in Munich combines more than 15 years of experience in 3D, AI, and XR with hands-on expertise in spatial computing, real-time 3D, and digital twins. Right at the intersection made visible at IFA 2026, between technological acceleration and the question of how to deploy this technology responsibly and economically, VISORIC guides companies from the first concept idea through to a deployable application.<sup>[14][15]<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.xrstager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/visoric-virtual-glass-box-08.jpg\" alt=\"Ulrich Buckenlei and the VISORIC leadership team in front of a digital 3D visualization\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>15 years of experience in 3D, AI, and XR: the VISORIC expert team from Munich.<\/h6>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><sup><br \/>\nImage: \u00a9 Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Online Magazine | VISORIC GmbH<br \/>\n<\/sup><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A well-thought-out pilot project, a single use case, a clearly scoped visualization solution, can often be realized much faster and more cost-effectively than many companies expect.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list--blue list-square black\">\n<li>Consulting on AI-powered visualization, spatial computing, and digital twins.<\/li>\n<li>Development of editable, trustworthy applications for industry and communication.<\/li>\n<li>From pilot application to enterprise-wide solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That is exactly where a conversation should start: not with the big, company-wide vision, but with a clearly scoped, quickly implementable first step.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to find out how the trends made visible at IFA 2026 can be put to concrete use for your company?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Talk to the VISORIC expert team in Munich about spatial computing, AI-powered visualization, and trustworthy digital twins.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Email: info&#64;&#118;&#105;&#115;&#111;&#114;&#105;&#x63;&#x2e;&#x63;&#x6f;&#x6d;<br \/>\nPhone: +49 89 21552678<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 20px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- SOURCES AND REFERENCES START --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"h3\">Sources and references<\/h2>\n<p><!-- SOURCES INTRO --><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>IFA Berlin \/ U.S. Department of Commerce (trade.gov). Official key figures for IFA 2026, visitor, exhibitor, and floor space figures. As of September 2026.<\/li>\n<li>BGR. IFA 2026 Opening Ceremony Doubles Down On New AI Tech Despite Global Memory Crisis. bgr.com, September 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 2: The people behind the stage --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>GFU Consumer &amp; Home Electronics GmbH. Carine Chardon takes over management of GFU. gfu.de, November 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Aiifi \/ The Guardian. Demis Hassabis Quotes, &#8220;10 times bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and maybe 10 times faster.&#8221; aiifi.ai, 2025\/2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 3: When investment blows past every historical benchmark --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li>Gartner, Inc. Gartner Says Worldwide AI Spending Will Total $2.5 Trillion in 2026. gartner.com, January 2026.<\/li>\n<li>Al Jazeera. Visualising AI Spending, How Does It Compare With History&#8217;s Mega Projects? aljazeera.com, February 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 4: Between enthusiasm and concern --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li>The Decoder \/ PC Gamer. Deepmind CEO Hassabis Says AGI Will Hit Like Ten Industrial Revolutions Compressed Into a Single Decade. the-decoder.com, April 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li>Yahoo Finance \/ Fortune. Workers Face Growing &#8220;Automation Anxiety&#8221; as Tech Layoffs Surge, AI Adoption Accelerates. finance.yahoo.com, May 2026.<\/li>\n<li>TIME. Community Backlash to AI Data Centers Is Growing Across the U.S. time.com, July 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 5: The market figures for the first half of the year --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"10\">\n<li>GfK\/NIQ market presentation by Karim Chabon, IFA Opening Press Conference, Berlin, September 2, 2026.<\/li>\n<li>International Monetary Fund (IMF). World Economic Outlook Update, July 2026. imf.org.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 7: Robots are conquering everyday life --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"12\">\n<li>TrendForce. China&#8217;s Humanoid Robot Output to Surge 94% in 2026, Unitree and AgiBot to Capture Nearly 80% Market Share. trendforce.com, April 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- SOURCES CHAPTER 8: Open questions from the audience --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"13\">\n<li>Eurostat. Waste Statistics, Electrical and Electronic Equipment, EU collection rate 2023. ec.europa.eu, 2025.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- CALL TO ACTION --><\/p>\n<ol start=\"14\">\n<li>VISORIC case studies in the fields of digital twins, real-time 3D, and spatial computing.<\/li>\n<li>XR Stager platform for real-time 3D, digital twins, knowledge AI, and industrial spatial computing applications.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"padding: 20px\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- Contact Form (VC Shortcodes) --><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][ls_vc_contactform vc_recipient=&#8221;u&#108;&#114;&#x69;&#x63;&#x68;&#x2e;b&#117;&#99;&#107;&#x65;&#x6e;&#x6c;ei&#64;&#118;&#x69;&#x73;&#x6f;ri&#99;&#46;&#x63;&#x6f;&#x6d;&#8221; vc_privacy_policy=&#8221;yes&#8221; vc_rwd=&#8221;&#8221; vc_privacy_policy_link=&#8221;url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.xrstager.com%2Fdatenschutz|title:Datenschutz&#8221; vc_subject=&#8221;IFA 2026 in Berlin. What Companies Need to Know About AI, Robotics, and the Global Market Before the Show Opens<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We will contact you as soon as possible.[\/ls_vc_contactform]\n\t\t<div  id=\"kontakt\" class=\"ls-vc-container wpb_content_element \">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"container__wrap  p-15-xs  equalheight\" style=\"background-color:#000000;\">\n\n\t\t\t\t<p>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p class=\"white\"><strong>Contact Us:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"white\">Email: <a href=\"&#x6d;&#x61;&#105;l&#x74;&#x6f;&#x3a;&#105;n&#x66;&#x6f;&#x40;&#120;r&#x73;&#x74;&#x61;&#103;e&#x72;&#x2e;&#x63;&#111;m\">&#105;n&#x66;o&#x40;x&#x72;s&#x74;&#97;&#x67;&#101;&#x72;&#46;&#x63;&#111;m<\/a><br \/>\nPhone: <a href=\"tel:+498921552678\">+49 89 21552678<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p class=\"white\"><strong>Contact Persons:<\/strong><br \/>\nUlrich Buckenlei (Creative Director)<br \/>\nMobil +49 152 53532871<br \/>\nMail: <a href=\"&#109;a&#x69;l&#x74;&#111;&#x3a;&#117;&#x6c;&#114;i&#x63;h&#x2e;&#98;&#x75;&#99;&#x6b;&#101;&#x6e;&#108;e&#x69;&#64;&#x78;&#114;&#x73;&#116;&#x61;&#103;e&#x72;&#46;&#x63;&#111;&#x6d;\">u&#108;&#x72;&#x69;&#x63;h&#46;&#x62;&#x75;&#x63;k&#101;&#x6e;&#x6c;&#x65;i&#64;&#x78;&#x72;&#x73;t&#97;&#x67;&#x65;&#x72;&#46;&#99;&#x6f;&#x6d;<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"white\">Nataliya Daniltseva (Projekt Manager)<br \/>\nMobil + 49 176 72805705<br \/>\nMail: <a href=\"&#109;&#x61;i&#108;&#x74;o&#58;&#x6e;a&#x74;&#x61;&#108;&#x69;y&#97;&#x2e;d&#97;&#x6e;i&#x6c;&#x74;&#115;&#x65;&#x76;&#97;&#x40;x&#114;&#x73;t&#97;&#x67;e&#x72;&#x2e;&#99;&#x6f;m\">&#110;&#x61;t&#x61;l&#105;&#x79;&#97;&#x2e;d&#97;&#x6e;&#105;&#x6c;t&#x73;&#x65;&#118;&#x61;&#64;&#x78;r&#115;&#x74;&#97;&#x67;e&#114;&#x2e;&#99;&#x6f;m<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"white\"><strong>Address:<\/strong><br \/>\nVISORIC GmbH<br \/>\nBayerstra\u00dfe 13<br \/>\nD-80335 Munich<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][ls_vc_image vc_image=&#8221;3120&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div><!-- end \/.ls-vc-accordion -->\n\n\t\t[\/vc_column]\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/section>\n\n\t\t\n\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even before the halls of IFA 2026 in Berlin open, the Opening Press Conference already painted the picture of the coming show days. Ulrich Buckenlei was on site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":9943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>IFA 2026 in Berlin. 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