NTT to Host Upgrade 2024 Global Research & Innovation Summit

Topics for two-day event include security and privacy, AI and machine learning, and the internet of light powered by IOWN; two-dozen demos will showcase actual innovations

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#TechforGood—NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT (TYO:9432), today announced plans to hold Upgrade 2024, NTT’s Global Research & Innovation Summit, on April 10-11, 2024. The free, two-day event will focus on innovation that has the potential to Upgrade Reality. Day 1 will feature hands-on demonstrations of innovative technologies, ranging from optical devices to NTT’s large-language model (LLM), Tsuzumi, and an opening reception with a welcome from NTT CEO Akira Shimada. Day 2 will begin with opening remarks from NTT Research President and CEO Kazuhiro Gomi, continue with discussions of medical innovation and basic research, and feature a keynote by Disney/Pixar veteran Matthew Luhn. Day 2 will continue with afternoon breakout sessions on security and privacy, AI and machine learning (ML), and the internet of light powered by IOWN. The event will take place at the NTT Experience Center (XC) and the Metreon City View, both in San Francisco, and will be streamed online for those who are unable to attend in-person.

Day 1 (April 10) at NTT XC will showcase two-dozen new technologies from across the range of NTT operating companies. These demonstrations cluster around five categories: 1) IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) and photonics; 2) AI and Tsuzumi; 3) human sense; 4) sustainability; and 5) well-being & healthcare. Examples include applications of the IOWN all-photonics network (APN); demos of Tsuzumi-powered contact centers; personalized sound zones and interfaces designed for severely handicapped persons; artificial photosynthesis and new approaches to reducing CO₂; autonomous closed-loop (medical) intervention system; and a security, privacy, and integrity protection platform. This showcase continues through Day 2, giving visitors additional opportunities to learn about these actual innovations. The Day 1 welcome reception at the Metreon City View will be an opportunity for attendees to network with colleagues and partners while taking in a San Francisco rooftop event (cocktails, small bites and live entertainment) at sunset.

Day 2 (April 11) of Upgrade 2024 will kick-off at the Metreon with remarks by NTT Research President Gomi. Two panel discussions will follow. The first, on the bio-digital twin initiative, features NTT Research Medical & Health Informatics (MEI) Lab Director Joe Alexander, Circulatory System Research Foundation Director Kenji Sunagawa and Microsoft Chief Medical Scientist Junaid Bajwa. The second, on basic research, features NTT Venture Capital (VC) Founding Partner Vab Goel, NTT Senior Executive Vice President CTO Katsuhiko Kawazoe and NTT Research President Gomi. NTT Research Head of Partner Strategy Al Emondi will then share lessons-learned at the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). To close out the morning, Matthew Luhn, formerly of Pixar Animation Studios, will deliver a keynote on the transformative power of innovation. Originally part of the Lucasfilm computer division, Pixar was spun off with funding from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1986. Luhn worked at Pixar, which Disney acquired in 2006, for two decades.

The three afternoon breakout tracks on Day 2 will feature informative and thought-provoking presentations from NTT researchers, subject matter experts and ecosystem partners. These talks, also at the Metreon, will address some of the questions related to the Upgrade Reality theme: How will the photonics and optical technologies improve and define the next generation for a more secure and sustainable world? How do we navigate AI, with its ethical and energy-consumption issues? What steps do businesses need to take to ensure that their and their customers’ data remain private, functional and secure? The masters of ceremonies (MCs), speakers and topics for these three sessions include the following:

• Security and Privacy – MC: NTT Security Global Chief Information Security Officer John Petrie. Speakers: NTT Research Cryptography & Information Security (CIS) Lab Senior Scientist Elette Boyle, NTT Data Federal Services CTO Nat Bongiovanni, CIS Lab Senior Scientist Abhishek Jain, NTT Innovation Labs CTO Moshe Karako, NTT Chief Cybersecurity Strategist Mihoko Matsubara, and CIS Lab Director Brent Waters. Topics: privacy, integrity, and protection; proof systems; cryptographic trends; and safeguarding the human-AI interface.
• AI and ML – MC: NTT DATA Services VP and CTO, Public Sector, Noel Hara. Speakers: NTT Network Innovations CEO Ichiro Fukuda, NTTVC Founding Partner Goel, NTT Smart World Solutions VP Bennett Indart, NTT Human Informatics Laboratories Senior Distinguished Researcher Kyosuke Nishida, NTT Docomo Ventures Managing Director Neil Sadaranganey, NTT Research Physics & Informatics (PHI) Lab Scientist Hidenori Tanaka, NTT DATA Corporation Director Strategy Team for the Global Generative AI Office Sandra Trullemans, NTT Head of Global Collaboration Innovation Growth Akhil Uniyal and NTT SVP, Enterprise IoT Products and Services, Devin Yaung. Topics: innovating with ecosystem partners, physics of intelligence for trustworthy and green AI, generative AI, large language models, climate change regulatory metrics and Edge-as-a-Service (EaaS)-driven AI.
• Internet of Light Powered by IOWN – MC: NTT Group VP, Connected Industry & Sustainability for America, Rika Nakazawa. Speakers: NTT Research President Gomi, PHI Lab Scientist Ryan Hamerly, PHI Lab Scientist Tatsuhiro Onodera, PHI Lab Scientist Tim McKenna. Topics: ML and photonics, optical edge computing, IOWN, thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) and all-photonics network proof of concept (APN PoC).

NTT Research invites business leaders, students, academics, researchers and journalists to attend, as well as NTT customers, employees, partners and stakeholders. For more details, including updates on speakers and topics, streaming options and information on (free) registration, please visit the Upgrade 2024 website.

About NTT Research

NTT Research opened its offices in July 2019 as a new Silicon Valley startup to conduct basic research and advance technologies that promote positive change for humankind. Currently, three labs are housed at NTT Research facilities in Sunnyvale: the Physics and Informatics (PHI) Lab, the Cryptography and Information Security (CIS) Lab, and the Medical and Health Informatics (MEI) Lab. The organization aims to upgrade reality in three areas: 1) quantum information, neuroscience and photonics; 2) cryptographic and information security; and 3) medical and health informatics. NTT Research is part of NTT, a global technology and business solutions provider with an annual R&D budget of $3.6 billion.

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