Session: Are You Ready to Sustainably Create and/or Consume, and at the Speed of Light?
As Gen AI technologies proliferate across governments, societies, and industries (especially Web 3, XR, Metaverse) the demand for computing infrastructure to power digital systems and economies will skyrocket. Data volume globally is expected to 16X in the bookends of 2018 and 2030, with commensurate energy demands to multiply 13X in the same window. This will mean more data centers, equipment, cabling, servers, GPUs, and power - MUCH more power - that is already unevenly distributed globally. This is not sustainable. But there is a way forward by moving from Electronic to Photonic networks, connectivity, and computing, at a fraction of the power needed, with higher throughput and lower transmission latency of data. That's right, we are on the brink of a rich digital landscape generated by the science and speed of light - aka "Organic Intelligence". Join us so we can 'illuminate' you with the paradigm shift promised by Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN).
Bio
Rika is a technology leader, VC investor, best-selling author, and frequent public speaker on technology-powered industry transformation. She is Global Vice President with NTT’s New Ventures & Innovation team where she is focused on advancing emerging technologies like 5G, Edge Computing, AI, and IoT. For 2 consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, Rika has been awarded “Power 70” and “Power 80” recognition for the Women of Channel awards with The Channel Co’s CRN network. She has also been ranked as "Top 100 in Emerging Tech" by Women of the Future.
Trilingual in Japanese, German, and English, Rika grew up in Japan and moved to the US to attend Princeton University. Rika has since worked internationally in senior executive roles in strategy, business development, consulting, and marketing with Fortune 500 companies - Accenture, NVIDIA, Capgemini, Sony - and Silicon Valley startups. She is a digital innovation veteran and has served on multiple boards in Next-Gen Computing, XR/VR/AR, Cybersecurity, and AI ecosystems. Rika is currently board chair at STRIDES AI - a social impact venture that is advancing diversity in senior leadership with an AI platform, and a board member of Venus Shell Systems - a sustainable blue economy enterprise.
Rika is the best-selling author of “Dear Chairwoman” - featuring the trials and triumphs of women corporate board leaders. Her next book, featuring the intersection of sustainability, digital innovation, and the pandemic, is called “Beyond the Black Swan: How the Pandemic and Digital Innovation Intensified the Sustainability Imperative - Everywhere" was just released by Taylor & Francis in January 2024.