September 9, 2026
Presentations are only available to event registrants.
Time
8:00 am - 6:45 pm PDT
Location
Mexican Heritage Plaza
1700 Alum Rock Ave
San Jose, CA 95116
United States
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow rapidly, driving unprecedented transformation. And for all the hype, the best is yet to come! But AI's energy footprint is growing rapidly and the global “data center gold rush” is already straining energy grids and natural resources around the world. This is a formidable challenge that cannot be ignored.
For industry, this is a strategic business imperative. AI access costs are mounting, and there is increasing stakeholder pressure to show ROI on AI investments. Competitive advantage derives from running AI systems as efficiently as possible, maximizing performance and minimizing energy consumption. And for the next big application of physical AI, efficiency becomes absolutely critical.
No entity can address this alone. The SEMI Smart Data-AI Initiative has been working to build a meaningful collaboration across the entire AI ecosystem to “bend the curve.” In this workshop, together with our alliance partner San Jose, we bring together distinguished leaders across the spectrum to share insights and chart the future course. Please join us at this exciting interactive event.
Agenda
Registration
Registration, Coffee/Tea + Pastries
Opening Remarks: Welcome
Workshop opening and introduction
Opening Remarks: SEMI
Overview of SEMI and Strategic Direction
Opening Remarks: Mayor Matt Mahan
Opening Remarks: City of San Jose
Innovating Together: Public-Private Sector Synergies
Keynote: State of California
From AI to Quantum, the Future is Now in California
Keynote: Lam Research
From Chips to Tokens: Efficiency and Velocity in the AI Era
Keynote: NVIDIA
From Watts to Intelligence: Building the Efficient AI Factory
Keynote: McKinsey & Co
Unlocking Efficient AI Inference at Scale
Break
Networking Coffee Break
Session Introduction: SEMI
Session Keynote: Nokia
At the Intersection of Photonics Innovation and AI's Energy Challenge
Panel Discussion
Chair, Gity Samadi
• Nokia – Vikrant Lal
• Aeluma - Jonathan Klamkin, CEO
• Avicena – Nigel Alvares, VP of Product & Marketing
• Veeco – Drew Hanser, VP of Technology
• ASE -Calvin Cheung, VP, Engineering and Business Development
Networking Break
Lunch
Introduction to SEMI Technology Coalitions and Afternoon Sessions
Session Keynote: Equinix
The New Infrastructure Imperatives: Energy, Water & Community Impact
Panel Introduction: Applied Materials
Chip-to-Grid
Panel Discussion
Chair, Sundeep Bajikar
• Equinix - Christopher Wellise (CW), VP of Sustainability
• City of San Jose - Erica Garaffo, Strategic Energy Customer Development Lead
• PG&E - Karen Khamou Ornelas, Senior Director of Data Center & Technology Growth
• Deloitte Consulting - Craig Lobdell, Senior Manager, Strategy, Growth, and Transformation
Networking Break
Coffee Break
Session Keynote: AMD
Managing Memory Architecture
Session Keynote: Google
Bounded Revolutionary Jumps
Panel Discussion
Chair, Pushkar Apte
• Google – Cliff Young, TPU & Anton Architect, MLPerf co-founder
• AMD – Nuwan Jayasena, Senior Fellow
• SK Hynix – John Kim, Senior Director, Head of AI DC Technology
• Siemens/Mentor – Mark Malinoski, Solutions Director, Digital Transformation Engg.
• Qualcomm - Roberto Mijat, Director for AI Product Architecture and HW Systems
Wrap-up & Next Steps
Reception
Alliance Partner
The SEMI Smart Data-AI Initiative is organizing this workshop with our Alliance Partner, the City of San Jose. We are uniting the entire AI ecosystem including devices, materials, packaging, photonics, quantum, architectures and algorithms. Please join us in this exciting interactive workshop.
Sponsors
