NTT’s annual summit to cover what it means to innovate in a new reality shaped by AI
News Highlights:
Upgrade 2025 to explore the impact of AI on a range of technologies transforming our present and future under the overarching event theme of “Innovation for the New Reality.”
The two-day event to be held on April 9-10, 2025, at the Metreon City View in San Francisco will feature multiple keynotes and panel discussions, anchored by an EXPO showcasing more than 25 exhibits.
Topics to be covered during presentations at Upgrade 2025 include IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network), photonic devices and their applications for communication and computation, modern cryptography and its business solutions, “physics of AI” to understand intelligence learning mechanisms, Cardiovascular Bio Digital Twin, workforce transformation, open innovation, space integrated computing, sustainable data center technology and more.
SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 10, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT (TYO:9432), today announced plans to hold Upgrade 2025, NTT’s Global Research & Innovation Summit, on April 9-10, 2025 at the Metreon City View in San Francisco. The event will bring together researchers, scientists, executives and industry experts to discuss how we bridge the gap from innovative ideas to tangible advancements, propelling the world into a new era shaped by artificial intelligence (AI). Under the theme of “Innovation for the New Reality,” Upgrade 2025 will cover a wide range of topics, including photonics, the Innovative Optical & Wireless Network (IOWN) initiative, thin-film lithium niobate, the coherent Ising machine, encryption technology such as attribute-based encryption (ABE), cryptography, the physics of AI, workforce transformation, open innovation, space integrated computing, critical care anywhere in the form of autonomous care for cardiovascular events, sustainable data center technology and more.
“In recent years, the emergence of large language models (LLMs) has marked a significant turning point in the field of AI, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation across multiple sectors,” said Kazu Gomi, President and CEO of NTT Research, Inc. “Upgrade 2025 will delve into the implications of this technological leap, exploring critical questions surrounding the future of AI from various aspects such as uncovering the black box of Machine Learning mechanisms, AI’s overall environmental impact, privacy and security. These are the challenges in an increasingly complex technological landscape. Our goal is for attendees to leave Upgrade 2025 with new insights and inspiration as we explore the transformative potential of research and innovation and how they are applied in this new era of AI to ensure that technology serves to enhance the quality of life for all.”
Story Continues
The centerpiece of Upgrade 2025 will be an EXPO featuring more than 25 hands-on exhibits that highlight emerging technologies and their potential impact on everyday life. Designed to showcase the journey from Research (discovery & invention) to Development (proof of concept) to Commercialization (ready for business), each exhibit will provide attendees with the opportunity to engage with these innovations at their own pace, allowing for a deeper understanding of the technology that will shape our future. The EXPO will be open to all registered Upgrade 2025 attendees on both April 9 and 10. In addition, the evening of April 9 will feature a welcome reception with cocktails and small plates. The reception will include a welcome from NTT Research President and CEO Kazu Gomi and will officially kick off Upgrade 2025.
On April 10, Upgrade 2025 will host a comprehensive schedule of presentations. The day will begin with opening remarks from Kazu Gomi, President and CEO of NTT Research; Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of the Board at NTT; and Abhijit Dubey, President and CEO of NTT DATA, Inc. Each of these esteemed executives will provide an overview of the latest research and innovation from NTT groups around the world, including how innovation happens in the time of AI, in an effort to foster a greater understanding of the technology, its opportunities and pitfalls. Opening keynotes will be followed by two tracks of panel discussions from leading innovators, researchers and thought leaders whose groundbreaking work is set to redefine our world. Topics for these sessions include six on the Embarcadero Stage: Understanding the Physics of AI; Photonics, AI and Machine Learning; Encryption in the Time of AI; Critical Care Anywhere (Breakthrough in Advanced Cardiac Care); Smart and Sustainable Data Centers of the Future; and NTT Constellation (C)89: Space Integrated Computing. Topics for the seven sessions on the Twin Peaks Stage include ROI in the Age of AI; Super-Powering Customer Experience and Engagement; and five that address Transformation and Open Innovation:
AI Empowered from the Edge;
AI Startups Leading the Way;
Innovating with GenAI Tools and Services;
GenAI in the Real World; and
Unlocking GenAI for the Enterprise.
These sessions will feature a distinguished group of expert speakers comprised of researchers, scientists, executives and industry luminaries. To view a complete list of presentations and speakers for each session, please view the Upgrade 2025 agenda.
NTT Research invites business leaders, students, academics, researchers and journalists to attend, as well as NTT customers, employees, partners and stakeholders. For more information on the event and to register, please visit the Upgrade 2025 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 advance science 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.
