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
📍 By Invite Only
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.
Opening: 2:00 PM
- Energy Challenges: 2:10 – 3:50 PM
- Keynote – Tadao Yanase (NTT)
- Panel – Sundeep Bajikar (Applied Materials), Aart de Geus (Synopsys), Jerry Hsiao (Foxconn), Tadao Yanase (NTT) – Moderated by Young Sohn
- Startup Showcase – Live Pitch
Solving AI Efficiency: 3:50 – 4:50 PM
- Panel – Rene Haas (Arm), Francis Ho (WCV), Puneet Kumar (Rivos), Peter Barrett (Playground)– Moderated by Sasha Ostojic (Playground Global)
- Startup Showcase – Live Pitch
AI Enterprise Applications: 4:50 – 5:45 PM
- Panel – Chuck Alpert (Cadence), Aaron Fulkerson (Opaque Systems), Wonil Roh (Samsung), Neel Sundaresan (IBM) – Moderated by Meijung Chen (BCG)
- Startup Roundtable – Brian Dow (Amperesand), Sunghyun Park (Rebellions) – Moderated by Young Sohn
Networking: 5:45 – 7:00 PM
SPEAKERS
Chuck Alpert
Fellow, Cadence Design Systems
Sundeep Bajikar
CVP Corporate Strategy & Marketing, Applied Materials
Peter Barrett
Co-founder and General Partner,
Playground Global
Meijung Chen
Managing Director & Partner
Brian Dow
CEO, Amperesand
Aaron Fulkerson
CEO, OPAQUE
Aart de Geus
Executive Chair & Founder, Synopsys Inc
Rene Haas
CEO, ARM
Francis Ho
Partner, Walden Catalyst Ventures
Jerry Hsiao
CPO, Foxconn
Puneet Kumar
Founder and CEO, Rivos Inc.
John Martin
Head of Ecosystem, XTC
Sasha Ostojic
Venture Partner, Playground Global
Sunghyun Park
Co-Founder and CEO, Rebellions
Kendra Perlitz
COO, Playground Global
Wonil Roh
President, Samsung Research America
Karin Schmid
Energy Advisor, XTC
Young Sohn
Chairman, Samsung Semiconductor Advisory Board, Founding Managing Partner, Walden Catalyst Ventures
Neel Sundaresan
General Manager, Automation and AI, IBM
Bill Tai
Co-founder & Chairman
Tadao Yanase
Senior Executive Vice President
and CBDO
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
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 us
shail.r@extremetechchallenge.org