CES 2025: Panasonic HD keynote unveils global business growth initiative to lead “Well into the future” for a sustainable world

Osaka, Japan, January 7, 2025 – At CES 2025, Panasonic Holdings Corporation Group CEO, Yuki Kusumi, took to the keynote stage to open this year’s event, showcasing the Panasonic Group’s commitment to creating innovations to enhancing the health, comfort and safety of individuals and families, while advancing solutions that contribute to a more sustainable future. A fixture at CES since 1967, Panasonic Group introduced this year’s theme, “Well into the future, embodying its vision for a sustainable world, built on the foundation of its long-standing values.

In addition to sharing how sustainable technology solutions from Panasonic Group are driving progress in large-scale renewable energy solutions, EV battery technologies, and sustainable home technologies, Mr. Kusumi unveiled Panasonic Go, a global corporate growth initiative that will drive transformation through AI-powered, software-led investments across Panasonic Group and create new experiences for its customers and partners alike.

“Panasonic Go builds on our company’s 100-year legacy as a purpose-driven business and our fundamental goal; to develop useful, high-quality solutions that have a positive impact on the world,” said Mr. Kusumi. “With this new initiative, we will provide our global enterprise with AI tools and processes to serve our customers in fundamentally different ways. From our founding in consumer electronics hardware, we’ve grown into a major innovator of B2B software, services and platforms, and this path forward will open up new opportunities to innovate, connect, and deliver value.”

Joining Mr. Kusumi on stage at the Venetian were keynote emcee Anthony Mackie, DJ Steve Aoki with Technics, a renowned name in audio technology, and Panasonic partners including the World Business Council for Sustainability Development, Redwood Materials, Blue Yonder, Panasonic Well, AARP and Anthropic.

Mr. Kusumi highlighted Panasonic’s fuel cell factory in Japan, the world’s first factory to be fully powered a combination of hydrogen, solar panels and battery storage units – a solution named Panasonic HX which generates only the amount of power needed and uses Panasonic’s original energy management system to balance supply and demand in response to changes in electricity and weather.

Panasonic HX will also be brought to scale at manufacturing operations in Cardiff, UK and office buildings in Munich, Germany. Mr. Kusumi announced that the company is currently working with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in the United Kingdom to explore using hydrogen fuel cell technology for net-zero energy at select public and government sites — the world’s first agreement of its kind.

Panasonic Energy’s global leadership in EV battery manufacturing and driving a circular economy model for recycling in EV battery production were spotlighted by Redwood Materials CEO JB Straubel. Straubel joined Mr. Kusumi to highlight the unique Panasonic/Redwood partnership, which addresses one of the EV industry’s most critical needs: sustainable battery production and recycling.

Mr. Kusumi went on to acknowledge that at CES 2022, Panasonic HD introduced the Panasonic GREEN IMPACT mission, to realize net zero CO₂ emissions across all of its operations, including all manufacturing facilities worldwide by 2030, and reduce total emissions by more than 300 million tons by 2050.

This year, in support of this long-term environmental initiative, Panasonic HD and its partner World Business Council for Sustainability Development (WBCSD), announced they are jointly advancing the standardization of Avoided Emissions, a power metric to scale low-carbon solutions and products, to ensure they are recognized by governments, financial institutions, and society at large.

Peter Bakker, President and CEO, WBCSD, joined Mr. Kusumi to express how Panasonic Group’s dedication to sustainability and innovation inspires global progress and aligns seamlessly with WBCSD’s mission to accelerate the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive, and equitable future.

Panasonic revealed a new approach to sustainable home design with OASYS, a complete solution to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) that offers unrivaled comfort, cleaner air, and lower energy demand.

OASYS brings together two broad areas of focus for Panasonic -- sustainable technology and wellbeing and furthers its commitment to innovations that address climate change, while also helping people and families thrive. Using a proprietary combination of Panasonic technologies, OASYS delivers superior performance in a more energy efficient solution for families and individuals looking to have a cleaner and more comfortable home.

With Panasonic Go, Panasonic Group will incorporate more AI-driven innovation as the company continues to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable solutions for the global supply chain and expand products and services to millions of modern households around the globe. By 2035, 30% of Panasonic HD’s revenue will be represented by AI-driven hardware, software, and solution businesses, ushering in a new era of innovation at Panasonic Group that will redefine customer experiences, expand market reach and capitalize on the skyrocketing demand for smarter, interoperable products. This global initiative will propel Panasonic Group from its hardware roots to a dynamic AI-powered ecosystem that integrates cutting-edge software and hardware at the forefront of the connected revolution.

Panasonic Connect subsidiary Blue Yonder is reinventing the global supply chain using advanced data analytics and AI. Blue Yonder Chief Strategy Officer Wayne Usie joined Mr. Kusumi to reveal the ways in which Blue Yonder empowers businesses to navigate modern supply chain complexity with the most advanced and innovative technology by combining predictive and generative AI to unlock the value in data to build autonomous supply chains.

Blue Yonder’s AI-driven solutions provide end-to-end visibility across a company’s entire supply chain including suppliers and trading partners. With predictive insights, supply chain professionals can understand relevant information, assess scenarios, and make informed decisions.

Panasonic Well, a new venture and business incubator within the Panasonic Group, is committed to building new services and technologies that improve well-being for all people, from individuals to groups, at every life stage. Yoky Matsuoka, Executive Officer of Panasonic HD and Panasonic Well CEO, joined Mr. Kusumi to introduce the next step in building a comprehensive wellness ecosystem to support families. As an extension of the current Panasonic Well portfolio, Matsuoka announced Umi, a holistic digital family wellness platform and coach; Panasonic Well's Partner Collective with dozens of integrated health and wellness businesses, organizations, and research institutions; and a global partnership with Anthropic (https://www.anthropic.com/), a leading AI research company developing safe and ethical AI systems. This partnership aims to embed responsible artificial intelligence across the Panasonic Group and within Panasonic Well's consumer solutions. Together, these efforts drive transformative solutions that empower families to achieve holistic wellness outcomes and thrive like never before.

Umi is Panasonic Well’s first consumer brand offering powered by Anthropic’s Large Language Model (LLM), Claude. Daniela Amodei, Co-Founder and President of Anthropic, joined Matsuoka to detail how Panasonic Group and Anthropic are partnering to advance AI in a powerful and ethical way that reflects their shared values and joint commitment to safety, reliability and transparency. Anthropic believes in an approach where AI is designed to be safe, understandable and deeply aligned with human values, and its commitment with Panasonic Group will eventually bring ethically-grounded AI into areas where it can make a tangible impact.

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, shared details of AARP’s collaboration with Panasonic Well, and the launch of its Family Wellness Innovation Challenge, a global start-up competition for start-ups helping to redefine the future of well-being. The Family Wellness Challenge drew hundreds of applicants from 7 countries to compete for $1 million in prizes. The winners include: Hearth Display (https://hearthdisplay.com/products/hearth-display) (Grand Prize), Mindless Play, Support Pay, Your Coach, and Guava Health.

Please visit https://news.panasonic.com/global/presskits/ces2025 for all Panasonic CES 2025 news announcements and photos.