Keynote Speakers

Agile-chip Platform: A Quick and Low-cost Chip Fabrication Approach for Edge Computing

Dr. Hideharu Amano, Professor Emeritus, Keio University and Senior Fellow, University of Tokyo, Japan

The Agile-X (Agile-chip) platform is a type of Structured ASIC that enables the creation of LSI in a short period and at a low cost.
In this method, only the wiring between gate arrays on a base chip, manufactured like a conventional ASIC using lower-layer wiring, is produced using Minimal-Fab. This allows any circuit to be manufactured based on the designer’s specified GDS file. The performance evaluation of the Agile-chip platform compared to FPGAs and experiences of using semiconductor education are introduced.
Biography: Hideharu Amano earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Graduate School of Keio University in 1986. Currently, he serves as a senior fellow at the System Design Laboratory in the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. Additionally, he is a Professor Emeritus at Keio University and is affiliated with the Agile-X Project at the University of Tokyo.

The VUCA World and its Impact on Research, Education, and Jobs

Dr. Kiat Seng Yeo, Professor, Advisor (Global Partnerships) at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore

The new challenges posed by the current VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) world, amplified by the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), would require a reimagination of how we structure our economy and address our future manpower needs. Countries must continue to invest in education and research to remain competitive. This talk begins with introducing a new education model in a new era. In addition, the fourth industrial revolution will change the world dramatically. The impact will be far more significant than its three predecessors. Specifically, many existing PMET (Professional, Manager, Executive, and Technician) jobs and traditional universities, technologies, and industries will disappear. Together with AI, they will shape and accelerate digital transformation and create new opportunities. The relationship between university and industry could take new forms in this new era. Their collaboration is increasingly important in developing new frontiers, ideas, knowledge, and growth areas. Finally, this talk will redefine research success and present new research areas. These rapid technological shifts will change how we think about research collaborations. It will also change the nature and direction of our research. What are the challenges of modern education and research? What are the next big things? How is it going to affect us? This talk will attempt to answer these questions.
Biography: Kiat Seng Yeo (M’00–SM’09–F’16) received his B.Eng. (EE) in 1993 and Ph.D. (EE) in 1996 from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Currently, he is an Advisor for Global Partnerships (President’s Office), and Director for Innovation and Enterprise (China) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and a distinguished professor at Tianjin University. He was Chairman of the University Research Board, Chairman of Graduate Studies, Member of the Academic Council, Associate Provost for Research, Founding Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, and Founding Associate Provost for International Relations at SUTD. He has 36 years of experience in industry, academia, and consultancy. Before joining SUTD, he was a full professor at NTU; he spent 13 years in management positions as Associate Chair (Research), Head of Circuits and Systems, and Sub-Dean (Students Affairs). Professor Yeo was also a Fellow of the Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) and was a Senator and Advisory Board Member at NTU. Throughout his career, he has made many outstanding contributions to advance Singapore’s education and research ambitions. As the Founding Director of VIRTUS, an SGD52 million IC Design Centre of Excellence jointly set up by NTU and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), he contributed extensively to the economic development of integrated circuit design in Singapore by leading multidisciplinary research, with a focus on industry collaboration. In 2016, he initiated the FIRST (Fostering Industrial Research Success Together) Industry Workshop at SUTD. Today, it is a flagship event with an attendance of over 1,000 professionals from the industry. Since 1996, Professor Yeo has provided consultancy services to statutory boards, local SMEs, and multinational electronics and IC design corporations. As Principal Investigator, he secured over SGD70 million in research funding from various funding agencies and industry. He is the author of 14 books, and seven book chapters and has published over 650 top-tier refereed journal and conference papers in his area of research and holds 55 patents, including two patents for the world’s most miniature integrated transformer, a patent for the world’s smallest integrated filter for 60GHz standard, the inventor of several high Q-factor RF spiral inductors and co-inventor of quite a few novel circuit techniques for 5G/6G wireless communication and RF/mm-wave IC applications. Professor Yeo is a world-renowned expert in low-power RF/mm-wave integrated circuit design and a recognized expert in CMOS technology. He holds/held positions such as advisor, chair, co-chair, and technical chair at many international conferences. He was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze Award) by the President of the Republic of Singapore on National Day 2009 and the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award in 2009 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the University and society. In 2020, he was conferred the Long Service Medal on National Day by the President of the Republic of Singapore. Professor Yeo is one of the 7 Academicians elected to the Singapore Academy of Engineering (SAEng) and the Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS). He is a Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology, International Artificial Intelligence Industry Alliance (AIIA), Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (AAIA), and IEEE for his contributions to low-power integrated circuit design. Professor Yeo is the world’s top AI scientist by AIIA and the principal author of the Integrated Circuit Design Research Ranking for Worldwide Universities 2008 and the World University Research Rankings (WURR) 2020. He is a Top Scholar by ScholarGPS and was recognized among the World’s top 2% of scientists by Stanford University from 2020 to 2024.

Intelligent & Perceptive Sensing and Actuation for Next-Generation Secure Chips – From Physical Design to Machine Learning

Dr. Massimo Alioto, Provost’s Chair, Professor, ECE – National University of Singapore, Singapore

Physical security of next-generation silicon systems mandates major advances at their physical boundary, and hence in both on-chip sensing for attack detection and on-chip actuation for attack counteraction. This has recently motivated the investigation of a new breed of on-chip sensor interfaces and actuators that can continuously and inexpensively monitor the chip environment, gaining physical context awareness and capturing physical anomalies. This trend is progressively fusing with relentless advances in inexpensive on-chip (AI) intelligence, which can oversee physical signals and events to orchestrate the on-chip security ecosystem. In this keynote, the road towards ubiquitous intelligent & perceptive hardware security countermeasures is illustrated by analyzing recent silicon demonstrations with unprecedented capabilities to perceive security events inexpensively, and react to them intelligently, all the time (always-on). The new concept of hardware patching is also discussed, where circuit flexibility is introduced to make silicon chips able to evolve and counteract newly discovered vulnerabilities through (machine) learning-based physical protection mechanisms.
Biography Massimo Alioto is Provost’s Chair Professor at the ECE Department of the National University of Singapore, where he leads the Green IC group, the Integrated Circuits and Embedded Systems area, and the FD-fAbrICS center on intelligent and connected systems. Previously, he held positions at the University of Siena, Intel Labs – CRL (2013), University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (2011-2012), University of California – Berkeley (2009-2011), and EPFL – Lausanne. He is (co)author of 400 publications in journals and conference proceedings, and four books with Springer (with two more coming). His primary research interests include ultra-low power and self-powered systems, green computing, circuits for machine intelligence, hardware security, and emerging technologies. He was the Editor in Chief of the IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems and Deputy Editor in Chief of the IEEE Journal on Emerging and Selected Topics in Circuits and Systems. He was the Chair of the Distinguished Lecturer Program for the IEEE CAS Society and was a Distinguished Lecturer for the SSC and CAS Society. Previously, Prof. Alioto was the Chair of the “VLSI Systems and Applications” Technical Committee of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (2010-2012). He served as Guest Editor of numerous journal special issues (JSSC, TCAS-I, JETCAS…), Technical Program Chair of several IEEE conferences (ISCAS, SOCC, PRIME, ICECS), and TPC member (ISSCC, ASSCC). His research group’s contribution has been recognized through various best paper awards (e.g., ISSCC), and in the ten technological highlights of the TSMC annual report. Prof. Alioto is an IEEE Fellow.

Malaysia’s Chip Leap: Pioneering the Future of Semiconductors in
Southeast Asia

CEO Yong Kai Ping, Chief Executive Officer of the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC).

As Southeast Asia rises to prominence in the global semiconductor industry, Malaysia stands at the forefront with its groundbreaking initiative, the Malaysia Semiconductor IC Design Park. This keynote session, delivered by Yong Kai Ping, CEO of SIDEC, will explore the strategic vision behind this transformative project, its role in positioning Malaysia as a regional leader, and its impact on the global semiconductor landscape. The session will delve into how the IC Design Park, supported by the collaboration of federal and state governments, global technology firms, and venture capitalists, is creating an ecosystem that fosters innovation, talent development, and sustainable growth. The park is designed to attract cutting-edge IC design companies, offering advanced infrastructure, Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, and critical industry partnerships. Yong Kai Ping will highlight key milestones of the initiative, including the role of the Malaysia Advanced Semiconductor and AI Academy in training the next generation of engineers, and the establishment of the RM100 million Semiconductor Venture Fund, which aims to fuel the growth of high-potential semiconductor companies in Malaysia. Join this keynote to gain insight into how Malaysia is pioneering the future of semiconductors in Southeast Asia and laying the groundwork for a new era of technological leadership in the region.
Biography Yong Kai Ping is the esteemed Chief Executive Officer of the Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec). With a robust digital transformation and media background, Yong has been instrumental in positioning Selangor as ASEAN’s leading digital hub. His strategic leadership at Sidec focuses on accelerating digitalisation across e-commerce, startups, and SMEs, fostering an ecosystem of innovation and growth. Yong’s journey in the digital economy is marked by his notable tenure as CEO of Sidec since 2021 and as CEO of SITEC from 2015 to 2020. Under his guidance, SITEC contributed over RM334 million to the Selangor economy and nurtured 90 startups through the Selangor Accelerator Programme. Yong’s visionary efforts have facilitated the digital education of 650 e-commerce merchants and successfully promoted SME digitalisation. Before leading Sidec and SITEC, Yong was at the helm of KiniTV as its CEO, where he propelled the platform to achieve 150 million views in 2015, establishing it as one of Southeast Asia’s largest online TV channels. His extensive experience includes a pivotal role as the Chinese Editor for Malaysiakini, Malaysia’s most influential online news portal, where he served for nearly 12 years. A British Chevening Scholar, Yong holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Birmingham, UK. He has further enriched his expertise through participation in the Senior Journalist Programme at the East West Centre in Hawaii, USA. He has organized prominent media conferences, including the Asia Chinese New Media Conference and the Southeast Asia Internet TV Conference. Yong’s accolades include the Digital Hub Status award by MDEC and Silicon Valley Pitching & Industrial Visit. His dedication to the digital economy and media has propelled his professional success and significantly impacted Selangor’s economic landscape, making him a distinguished leader in the field.

The Evolution of Processors: From CPUs to GPUs and Beyond

Dr. Won Woo Ro, Professor, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, South Korea

In the ever-evolving landscape of computer systems and architecture, processing units remain at the core of technological innovation. This keynote embarks on a comprehensive journey through processing technologies’ past, present, and future. We will begin by exploring the historical evolution and foundational role of Central Processing Units (CPUs) in advancing computational capabilities and system development. From there, we will delve into the rise of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), highlighting their transformative impact on parallel processing and AI-driven applications. As we examine the current state of processing technologies, the keynote will spotlight cutting-edge developments that are pushing the boundaries of modern computing. This includes an overview of emerging architectures such as Neural Processing Units (NPUs) and other specialized accelerators reshaping performance and efficiency standards. We will also discuss paradigm-shifting innovations like Processing-In-Memory (PIM) and in-storage computing, bringing computation closer to data to dramatically enhance performance and energy efficiency. The keynote will offer a forward-looking perspective on the next generation of processing technologies, including breakthroughs in quantum computing and the emergence of Quantum Processing Units (QPUs). Attendees will gain valuable insights into how these innovations will redefine the future of computing, with wide-ranging implications across industries such as healthcare, finance, entertainment, and beyond.
Biography: Won Woo Ro received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea, in 1996, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1999 and 2004, respectively. He worked as a Research Scientist with the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California, Irvine. He works as a Professor at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University. Before joining Yonsei University, he worked as an assistant professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, California State University, Northridge. His industry experience includes a college internship with Apple Computer, Inc., and a contract software engineer with ARM, Inc. His research interests include high-performance microprocessor design, GPU microarchitectures, neural network accelerators, and memory hierarchy design.