videos
Welcome Remarks and Introductions
The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment’s 2024 Annual Meeting, “AI for Energy and Energy for AI.” was held on October 29 at Princeton University’s Maeder Hall Auditorium.
Minjie Chen, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Iain McCulloch, Director, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment; Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment; Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Jennifer Rexford, Provost, Office of the Provost; Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor in Engineering; Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University
Keynote: AI’s Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy Transition
While the artificial intelligence boom is poised to transform how we understand and solve global challenges, its heavy reliance on energy and water has led to concerns about its own impact on the environment. This year’s Annual Meeting explored how we can harness the power of Al to make rapid progress in global decarbonization efforts and navigate the risks that Al will create for achieving a clean and just energy future.
Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft, delivered the keynote speech entitled “AI’s Opportunities and Challenges for the Energy Transition”. Her talk was followed by an on-stage conversation with Jennifer Rexford, Provost, Office of the Provost; Gordon Y.S. Wu Professor in Engineering and Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University.
Panel 1: Energy and Future Computing
Continued advancements in AI are changing the field of computing and increasing the energy demands used. Panelists discussed the future of energy efficient and sustainable computing in a world where AI is prevalent.
David Wentzlaff, Moderator, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University
Tom Gray, Senior Director Circuits Research, Nvidia
Mark Johnson, Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing; Thomas F. Hash Endowed Chair in Sustainable Development; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University
Stephen Kosonocky, Senior Fellow, AMD
Carole-Jean Wu, Director of AI Research, Meta
Panel 2: Power for AI
The rise of AI and the associated expansion of data center capacity has already created surging demand for new power supply. Experts on this panel discussed how society can meet the growing energy demands of AI while staying on track with and accelerating broader decarbonization efforts.
Jesse Jenkins, Moderator, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Allison Clements, Former Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Matt DeNichilo, Partner, ECP
Lucia Tian, Head of Clean Energy and Decarbonization Technologies, Google
Panel 3: AI for Power
Despite its energy consumption, AI can also unlock new approaches for addressing energy and environmental challenges. Panelists discussed how AI can accelerate clean energy innovation and identify the most promising applications for AI in catalyzing a more sustainable future.
Minjie Chen, Moderator, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
Tassos Golnas, Technology Manager, Solar Energy Technology Office, U.S. Department of Energy
Egemen Kolemen, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University; Staff Research Physicist, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)
Na (Lina) Li, Winokur Family Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, Harvard University
Chris White, President, NEC Laboratories America, Inc.
Panel 4: AI for Climate
In addition to its potentially game-changing role in advancing energy technologies, AI could be similarly poised to support breakthrough innovations in climate science. Speakers discussed the opportunities and challenges of using AI to address questions in climate research.
Gabriel Vecchi, Moderator, Director, the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Knox Taylor Professor of Geosciences; Professor in the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Deputy Director, Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System (CIMES), Princeton University
Adji Bousso Dieng, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University; Research Scientist, Google AI; Founder and President, The Africa I Know
Reed Maxwell, William and Edna Macaleer Professor of Engineering and Applied Science; Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the High Meadows Environmental Institute; Director of the Integrated GroundWater Modeling Center (IGWMC), Princeton University
Ning Lin, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University
