Computex is one of the two really big trade shows in the computing industry, next to CES. Every year, in early June, thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of thousands of attendees descend on the city of Taipei. The massive event traditionally features a slew of product announcements, plus interesting concepts and prototypes. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of people congregating together is not looking like a good idea at the moment. The COVID-19 Coronavirus is currently a global pandemic and many countries are in total lockdown. As such, the organisers have delayed Computex 2020 to the 28th-30th of September.
What Happens with Computex Delayed
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), who organise Computex, say they expect the pandemic to slow down in June. The hope seems to be that by September the disease will be well enough contained for an event to happen. TAITRA is also announcing an online showcase from the 2nd to the 6th of June.
This move is not without precedence. Back in 2003, SARS – technically also part of the Coronavirus family – was a major concern. Computex was delayed then in much the same way but was still a huge show when it took place. This year it appears Computex may be a bit smaller. The reschedule is taking Computex to just three days rather than five. The location is now the 32,000-capacity TaiNEX 2 exhibition hall. Finally, its startup show InnoVEX is now combined with Computex 2020.
Exhibitors now have a tough decision for product launches. Do you wait for three months, or announce online? Nvidia has already delayed unspecified product launches as their GTC conference went digital. Back in 2003, AMD launched Athlon 64 FX chips at the delayed Computex. However, 17 years later an online launch is much more viable. This might come down to supply chain, with manufacturers releasing only if they’re confident they can make the product available. One thing is for sure, we live in interesting times.
You can keep up with the latest Computex news at the Computex website.
The latest advice for protecting yourself and others from Coronavirus is available on the NHS website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/.
