[IFA2022] The World's Oldest and Europe's Largest Electronics Exhibition

Expansion of Non-Home Appliances Including Mobility, Semiconductors, and Mobile Phones

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] IFA (Internationale FunkAusstellung), the largest consumer electronics exhibition in Europe, has a history of nearly 100 years since its inception in 1924. Along with the US Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Spain's Mobile World Congress (MWC), it is considered one of the world's top three IT and electronics exhibitions.

In its early years, IFA was held annually in Berlin, Germany from 1924 to 1939 before being suspended. After World War II, it was held biennially from 1950 to 2005, and then resumed as an annual event from 2006 onward.

Last year, due to the spread of COVID-19, the event was held online only. This year marks the first offline event in three years. Major companies such as Sony, Panasonic, Philips, and Miele are participating. About 1,900 companies are expected to attend this year, attracting approximately 240,000 visitors. Korean companies are participating in record numbers, increasing from about 90 in 2019 to over 130 this year.

There was a time when quality competition was intense, with washing machines and TVs criticized for "not meeting international standards" or even being tested by climbing on them, but recently a different trend has been observed. TVs remain the most competitive field each year in terms of size and picture quality, and recently, competition among smart home appliance platforms such as "SmartThings" and "ThinQ" has intensified.

Although the exhibition is still often described as focused on the so-called "big three appliances"?TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines?artificial intelligence (AI) and 5th generation mobile communication (5G) technologies are embedded throughout these products, indicating a high level of technological advancement. Recently, mobility, semiconductors, mobile phones, and other electronic products that are somewhat ambiguous to categorize strictly as home appliances are also being exhibited.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.