Extreme Tech Challenge presents:
AI ENERGY INNOVATION SUMMIT 2025
The Energy Challenge of AI:
A Call to Action
As AI revolutionizes industries across the globe, its energy consumption is skyrocketing at an unsustainable pace. While the rapid growth of AI unlocks unparalleled opportunities, it also presents a critical challenge: how to balance innovation with sustainability.
This summit is a call to action for startups, innovators, investors, corporations, and policymakers to collaborate on solutions that address this urgent issue. Together, we will explore breakthroughs in energy-efficient computing, data center optimization, and sustainable power generation, storage, and distribution to ensure a future where AI thrives responsibly.
Monday, November 3, 2025
2:00 – 6:30 PM
Playground Global (Palo Alto)
Attendees will have the chance to connect with global thought leaders, discover cutting-edge technologies, and forge partnerships to drive advancements in sustainably addressing AI power demands.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Keynotes and Panels:
Hear from industry leaders shaping the future of semiconductors, AI, and energy.
Startup showcase:
Discover groundbreaking solutions from startups with commercially-viable and scalable innovations.
Unmatched Networking:
Connect with startup founders, industry leaders, VCs, tech enthusiasts, policymakers, and ecosystem builders to unlock new opportunities
“XTC is the world’s largest social innovation startup competition, and it is an incredibly fitting forum for the leaders of tomorrow to unleash their full potential.”
Ban Ki-Moon
Former Secretary-General
of the United Nations
SPEAKERS
Peter Barrett
Co-founder and General Partner, Playground Global
Rene Haas
CEO ARM
Francis Ho
Deeptech VC at Walden Catalyst Ventures
Young Liu (invited)
CEO and Chairman, Hon Hai Technology Group (FOXCONN)
Charles Oppenheimer
Investor and Founder
HRH Constantijn
Van Oranje-Nassau
Special Envoy at Techleap.nl
Sasha Ostojic
Venture Partner, Playground Global
Young Sohn
Chairman, Samsung Semiconductor Advisory Board,
Founding Managing Partner, Walden Catalyst Ventures
Lip-Bu Tan
CEO of Intel, Founding Managing Partner of Walden Catalyst Ventures
Tadao Yanase
Senior Executive Vice President and CBDO (Chief Business Development Officer) NTT
STARTUP SHOWCASE
The summit will showcase outstanding commercially-viable
and scalable tech startups.
TRACK 1: Energy Innovation
for AI
Applications open now
Examples include but not limited to:
Advanced Renewables & Next-Gen Energy Systems
High-capacity and fast-response Energy Storage & Backup Solutions
Smart Grids, Dynamic and Efficient Energy Management
& Power Distribution
Novel Energy Harvesting Techniques and Optimization
5 selected startups will pitch live on stage at
TNW Conference 2025 (a leading European tech festival owned by the Financial Times) on June 19 (Amsterdam).
TRACK 2: AI Infrastructure and Data Center Innovation
Application Period:
June 19 – July 30, 2025
We’re looking for commercially-viable and scalable tech solutions in:
AI Chips & Infrastructure
AI-Optimized Hardware, High-Performance Accelerators, Edge AI Solutions, Novel AI Architecture, Energy-Efficient AI Models, Algorithm Optimization
Data Center Innovation
Energy-Efficient Computational Hardware, Advanced Cooling Systems, Smart Infrastructure Design, AI-Driven Management Systems
Register Your Interest to receive an invitation to apply.
SUMMIT CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR
Young Sohn
- Chairman of Semiconductor Advisory Board, Samsung Electronics
- Chairman of HARMAN Board of Directors
- Board Member of ARM and Cadence Design Systems
- Founding Managing Partner, Walden Catalyst Ventures
- Former Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer, Samsung Electronics
- Co-Founder, Extreme Tech Challenge
Young Sohn is a Silicon Valley business executive and investor. Young is currently a Founding Managing Partner at Walden Catalyst Ventures, an over $550M early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to deep-tech investments focused on data & AI across North America, Europe, and Israel.
Previously Corporate President and Chief Strategy Officer for Samsung Electronics, as well as CEO of two successful Silicon Valley public companies (Inphi, Oak) and board member of Arm, Cadence and Harman, Young was also an important seed investor for various innovative companies, such as AI21 Labs, Zoom Video, Noom and Cymer.
Young is a co-founder of Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s leading platform fostering collaboration and innovation among startups, corporations, and governments to address global challenges inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Karin Schmid
Energy Advisor, Extreme Tech Challenge
SEE HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR MOST RECENT EVENT
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
We appreciate the generous support and engagement from:
ABOUT EXTREME TECH CHALLENGE
Our Mission: Advancing tech innovations that create a better world
Extreme Tech Challenge (‘XTC’) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the world’s leading platform for fostering collaboration and innovation among startups, corporations, and governments to address global challenges.Inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, XTC is dedicated to advancing technologies that create a positive, lasting impact on the world.
Founded by visionary Silicon Valley venture capitalists Young Sohn and Bill Tai, our mission is to empower entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and policymakers to develop and scale solutions that tackle some of the world’s most urgent issues.
Through global startup competitions, innovation showcases, strategic partnerships, bespoke workshops, and thought leadership discussions at top tech conferences, XTC brings together a diverse network of startups, Fortune 1000 companies, VCs, government agencies, NGOs, foundations, and universities. This ecosystem enables investment, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, accelerating global innovation.
Each year, over 450 VCs, domain experts, and industry leaders volunteer their time and expertise, helping shape the future of technology and driving cross-sector partnerships for a more sustainable tomorrow.
10,000+
Startup Applications across 120+ countries, covering a wide spectrum of tech verticals and funding stages
US $5B
Venture Capital Funding Raised by XTC Startup Finalists (2015-2024)
450+
VCs and CVCs on the
XTC Evaluation Committee, Global Partners
SPONSOR TO EMPOWER GLOBAL INNOVATION
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Learn about future development of markets and tech
STARTUP SHOWCASE
Gain visibility into pioneering startups and innovation
INVESTOR NETWORKING
Connect with visionaries and disruptive leaders
For sponsorship and partnership inquiries, contact Victoria Slivkoff
Victoria Slivkoff
Executive Managing Director
victoria@extremetechchallenge.org