The lights have gone off at CES 2018: Watch live
A major power outage hit the Las Vegas Convention Center around 11:15 a.m. PT, just as the second day of CES 2018 was ramping up. It came a day after more than an inch of rain fell in Las Vegas, which caused flash flooding the desert city. (Wednesday's weather is clear and warm, and it's unclear if the power outage was at all related.)
As of 1:06 p.m., there were reports that some of the lights were returning to life in the Convention Center's Central Hall, where the blackout was first reported. That area houses the giant booths for show mainstays including Sony, Samsung, LG and Intel -- though Samsung's booth still had limited electricity thanks to its own private backup power. By noon, security guards were refusing entry to parts of the Convention Center.
Some lights coming back on in CES Central Hall after the #CESBLACKOUT but still mostly dark...@CNETpic.twitter.com/FTdIKrktgN
— Claire Reilly (@reillystyley) January 10, 2018
The website of Nevada Energy, the power provider, listed the cause of the problem as "Customer-Owned Electrical Equipment" and said the power would be restored by 2:30 p.m. PT.
Why a power outage at CES is a big deal:
-World's largest tech showcase ground to a halt
-Roughly 180,000 attendees, so thousands (reportedly) being ushered out
-Companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on CES
-Massive failure of a basic technology...electricity https://t.co/IaZTxd4oiL
— Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) January 10, 2018
The official CES Twitter account, run by the Consumer Technology Association, said this: "There is an isolated power outage at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We are working hard to resolve this and appreciate your patience."
Roadshow's Tim Stevens said the power also flickered at the Cosmopolitan Hotel across town.
As of 12:34 p.m. PT, the power was on in South Hall and at the CNET Stage, which is livestreaming the outage. The North Hall, which had reportedly lost power earlier, was also back online.
The atmosphere in and around the Convention Center during the blackout was largely calm and relaxed, with attendees generally bemused by the outage, at least in its early stages. That wasn't true for anyone who had their phones in charging lockers around the show, however: With the electronic locks disabled, the phones were inaccessible for the duration of the blackout.
Twitter has been flooded by photos and videos from the scene:
Introducing Blackout™: The biggest thing to hit #CES2018 since #5G. #CESblackoutpic.twitter.com/xObxxxHvQe
— Intel (@intel) January 10, 2018
Lone blogger, two security guards: This is the world's biggest tech show during a power outage. At the Samsung booth in Central Hall, but everywhere is dark. Time to start hoarding...@CNET@CES#CNETatCESpic.twitter.com/moL6u2MqaY
— Claire Reilly (@reillystyley) January 10, 2018
Demos are still going on inside the show floor at @Intel and @Quallcomm#CES2018#CESBlackoutpic.twitter.com/fx7AceSXJs
— Brian Tong (@briantong) January 10, 2018
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Editors' note: This story was first posted at 11:40 a.m. PT and is being continually updated. More updates soon.
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