Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) is bringing together Intel CEO Tan Lip-Bu and Western Digital CEO Irving Tan, both NTU alumni, with researchers, entrepreneurs and investors at its first Tech Summit and Alumni Conference in the United States on 23 October 2026.
Held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, the summit will examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing industries and work, the infrastructure needed to support its growth, and advances in energy storage and electrification.
The event will also provide a platform for NTU researchers, entrepreneurs and alumni with technology and investment leaders in Silicon Valley, while strengthening ties among NTU's nearly 2,500 alumni in the US.
It takes place during the first US immersion trip under Activate Global Fellows - Singapore, a national fellowship hosted by NTU in partnership with US-based non-profit Activate to help researchers develop science-based businesses.
AI, the future of work and energy technologies
Summit Highlight: Fireside Chat
• Intel CEO Tan Lip-Bu and NTU President Professor Ho Teck Hua
• Prof Ho brings experience from more than two decades in US academia, including 13 years at the University of California, Berkeley.
• In a recent paper published in California Management Review, Prof Ho proposed a model in which knowledge workers become both task architects and managers of AI agents. Workers divide tasks into smaller components, delegate some to AI agents, and assess and combine their outputs into a completed piece of work.
• NTU is also preparing students across disciplines to work with AI. By 2030, the University aims to embed AI into 40 per cent of courses across its undergraduate degree programmes. These courses will use AI to personalise learning or teach students to build, deploy and manage AI agents.
Summit Keynotes:
Professor Christian Wolfrum, NTU Deputy President and Provost and Executive Chairman of AI Singapore
• Topic: How Singapore is building national AI capabilities, including open AI models and computing infrastructure.
Western Digital CEO Irving Tan
• Topic: The infrastructure needed to support the AI economy, including its data storage needs.
Professor Shirley Meng, NTU Vice President (Industry) and an NTU alumna
• Topic: Advances in energy storage and electrification.
• She brings experience from research and leadership roles at institutions including the University of California San Diego, the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.
Connecting technology leaders, entrepreneurs and investors
The summit will feature NTU alumni working across AI, data platforms, communications and computing. They include:
• Dr Jia Li, co-founder of LiveX AI;
• Mr Steven Lin, research engineer at Google DeepMind;
• Ms Prukalpa Sankar, founder and co-CEO of Atlan;
• Mr Rohit Jha, CEO of Transcelestial; and
• Dr Glenn Ge, CEO of TetraMem.
Panel discussions will examine innovation in the AI era, opportunities and challenges in the global technology landscape, and venture capital fundraising.
Mr Anson Liang, President of the NTU Alumni Association (USA-West), will deliver the welcome address and moderate the fundraising panel.
Organised by NTU's Office of Alumni Engagement with support from its US alumni associations, the event will include networking sessions and a start-up showcase to help participants exchange ideas and explore potential collaborations.
Supporting Singapore deep tech in international markets
Panel Discussion:
• Professor Louis Phee, NTU Vice President (Innovation and Entrepreneurship),
• Dr Cyrus Wadia, CEO of Activate;
• Mr Brian Dow, CEO of NTU spin-off Amperesand; and
• Dr Zhaoxi Chen, CEO of robotics start-up Ropedia.
The panel will discuss how university research, industry partnerships and international networks can help technology ventures develop and grow.
These connections are also central to Activate Global Fellows - Singapore, which has S$12 million in funding from the National Research Foundation, Singapore, with support from Enterprise Singapore.
• Founders from the inaugural cohort will visit San Francisco and Silicon Valley from 17 to 25 October to meet potential customers, investors and industry partners.
• The cohort includes NTU spin-offs LoopForBio, which uses fermentation to turn food-processing by-products into microbial protein for aquaculture feed, and LAPIS, which is developing metal 3D printing using ultra-thin metal sheets instead of metal powders.
• Through the summit and fellowship, NTU aims to strengthen connections between Singapore's research and innovation community and US partners, drawing on its alumni network to support research collaboration and help science-based ventures reach international markets.
See Annex A
