Bimonoidal categories are categorical analogues of rings without additive inverses. They have been actively studied in category theory, homotopy theory, and algebraic $K$-theory since around 1970. There is an abundance of new applications and questions of bimonoidal categories in mathematics and other sciences. The three books published by the AMS in the Mathematical Surveys and Monographs series under the general title Bimonoidal Categories, $E_n$-Monoidal Categories, and Algebraic $K$-Theory (Volume I: Symmetric Bimonoidal Categories and Monoidal Bicategories-this book, Volume II: Braided Bimonoidal Categories with Applications, and Volume III: From Categories to Structured Ring Spectra) provide a unified treatment of bimonoidal and higher ring-like categories, their connection with algebraic $K$-theory and homotopy theory, and applications to quantum groups and topological quantum computation. With ample background material, extensive coverage, detailed presentation of both well-kno