NSF Compute-Energy Nexus in Chicago

The NSF Compute-Energy Nexus Workshop, hosted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago on December 8-9, 2025, will be a two-day, invitation-only event that brings together experts from academia, industry and government to tackle the growing energy challenges facing data centers, AI and supercomputing. Through keynote talks, technical sessions and collaborative breakouts, participants will explore innovative solutions at the intersection of the compute and energy infrastructures. The workshop will aim to define key research questions and launch a roadmap working group to guide future efforts in this critical space.

Dec. 8 Agenda

8:00 - 8:30 a.m.

Coffee Service

8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Keynote | The Influence of Exercise and Physical Activity on Cognitive & Brain Health of Older Adults: A Summary and Future Directions – Including an Increasing Role of AI

Ruchir Puri, IBM
Prashant Shenoy, University of Massachusetts

10:00 - 10:15 a.m.

Break

10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

Stakeholders Session
Howard Gugel, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
Andrew Chien, University of Chicago
Alaa Youssef, IBM

Includes a 30-minute panel discussion

11:30 - 12:00 p.m.

Breakout Session 1: Identification of Stakeholders & Needs

12:00 - 12:15 p.m.

Report Out

12:15 - 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

1:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Grid Integration
TBD
Nathaniel Rice, Dominion (tentative)
Brian Zahnstecher, Power Rox
Includes a 30-minute panel discussion

2:30 - 2:45 p.m.

Break

2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

Parallel Sessions

Session A: Thermal and Water Management
Kashif Nawaz, Oak Ridge National Lab
Davide Ziviani, Purdue University
Praveen Kumar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Session B: Chip & System Architecture
Karu Sankaralingam, NVIDIA
Can Hankendi, Boston University
Josep Torellas, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

3:45 - 4:15 p.m.

Breakout Session 2: Identification of Critical Roadblocks

4:15 - 4:30 p.m.

Report Out

4:30 p.m.

Day 1 Closing Remarks

5:00 p.m.

Social Hour

Dec. 9 Agenda

8:00 - 8:30 a.m.

Coffee Service

8:30 - 9:45 a.m.

Power Distribution and Management
Srjdan Lukic, North Carolina State University (tentative)
Rajesh Gopinath, Oracle
William Schaumann, Burns & McDonnell
Includes a 30-minute panel discussion

9:45 - 10:00 a.m.

Break

10:00 - 11:15 a.m.

Datasets, Modeling, and Algorithms
Bruce Tsuchida, Brattle
Mohammad Hajiesmaili, University of Massachusetts
Abdeltawab Hendawi, URI
Includes a 30-minute panel discussion

11:15 - 11:45 a.m.

Breakout Session 3: Critical Short- and Long-term Actions to be Taken

11:45 - 12:00 p.m.

Report Out

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 - 2:15 p.m.

Ultra-scale Systems
Tanya Das, formerly Bipartisan Policy Center (tentative)
Isik Kizilyalli, ARPA-E
Sushma Prasad, Google
Includes a 30-minute panel discussion

2:15 - 2:30 p.m.

Break

2:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Summary and Roadmapping Next Steps

3:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Concluding Remarks

3:30 p.m.

Adjourn

Directions

DPI Address:

Discovery Partners Institute

200 S. Wacker Dr.

Chicago, IL 60606

DPI has office space on the 20th, 7th, and 4th floors.

Getting There

DPI is bordered by Wacker Dr. to the east (across the street from Willis Tower), Adams St. to the north, and the Chicago River to the west. The main entrance is at the Wacker/Adams intersection.

By CTA Bus or Train: 200 South Wacker is served by several nearby buses and trains. The Orange, Brown, Purple, and Pink lines all stop at the closest station, Quincy St. The Blue (Monroe St.) and Red (Jackson St.) lines are both within walking distance. Use TransitChicago.com to plot your route via Google Maps.

By Commuter Train: Commuter trains bring people into various downtown terminals and in-city stations each day from the suburbs and northwestern Indiana. Service generally operates all day, including holidays. The four largest and most heavily used stations are the Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, Randolph Street Station, and Rock Island.

By Car/Parking: Many metered parking spaces are available near DPI. The building does not offer public parking, and we recommend using a parking app to find the most convenient and reasonably priced parking. Otherwise, Tower Self Park (211 W. Adams St.) is approximately 1 block away on the east side of Willis Tower. Enter off Adams or Franklin Streets.

Once You’ve Arrived:

In the building's main lobby, show your photo ID to Security. Security will confirm that your name has been submitted as a guest and you will be given access to the elevators. Head to the 4^th floor, where you will see a registration table down the hall after exiting the elevator. Follow instructions from the table to reach the Discovery Room.

Lodging

A room block has been reserved at Canopy by Hilton Chicago Central Loop (approximately 2 blocks from the venue). The deadline to book is November 18.

Other options include the Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Central Loop (approximately 2 blocks from the venue) and La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Chicago Downtown (approximately a half-mile from the venue).

Planning Committee

Technical Co-Chairs

Philip Krein
Grainger Endowed Chair Emeritus, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Rakesh Kumar
Professor and John Bardeen Faculty Scholar, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Klara Nahrstedt
Grainger Distinguished Chair of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; DPI Director of Research

TECHNICAL MEMBERS

Craig Bradshaw
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Rolando Burgos
Virginia Tech

Prasad Enjeti
Texas A&M University

Srdjan Lukic
North Carolina State University

Andrew Stillwell
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Salman Nasir
SemiTech Insights

Mohamed Arafa
SemiTech Insights

ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE

Jess Dalhaus
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Brent Brewer
Discovery Partners Institute

Kassandra Perez
Discovery Partners Institute

Josh Potts
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Karen Colat
Discovery Partners Institute

Jason Bane
Discovery Partners Institute