The “AOS Quantum Workshop” and the “Japan Seattle AI Innovation Meetup 25.0” were held over three days, from Wednesday, September 24, to Friday, September 26, 2025, in Seattle, US. These events were part of the activities of the Academic Open Space (University of Washington-Tohoku University: Academic Open Space)* (AOS) jointly established by Tohoku University and the University of Washington.
The three days were designated as Day 0 to Day 2. Day 0 included a visit to the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Skills Center, a cutting-edge shopping experience at Amazon Go, and lectures on data centers. On the first day of the workshop (Day 1), the UW-TU Quantum Academic Workshop was held at the University of Washington, running parallel to the Japan Seattle AI Innovation Meetup 25.0 held at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. The UW-TU Quantum Academic Workshop featured lectures on the latest research in quantum materials, as well as pitch talks and poster sessions where students from the University of Washington and Tohoku University presented their own research, fostering active communication among students and researchers. At the Japan Seattle AI Innovation Meetup 25.0, various organizations and companies,
including the Washington State Department of Commerce and JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization), gathered for lectures and pitch talks on the business expansion of U.S. startup companies into the Japanese market, sparking discussions on innovation and Japan-Washington State collaboration. On the second day of the workshop (Day 2), participants from both Day 1 events merged for the AOS Quantum Workshop at the University of Washington. Tohoku University’s Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi and Special Senior Advisor to the President Hideo Ohno gave lectures to the approximately 70 attendees. This series of events was planned and executed through a collaboration between Tohoku University researchers and UW researchers. The core Tohoku team included Professor Makoto Kohda (Graduate School of Engineering), Professor Takafumi Sato (AIMR), Specially Appointed Visiting Professor Fumio Ohuchi, and Specially Appointed Visiting Professor Tetsuro Eto.
Day 0 (Wednesday, September 24): AWS Data Center Session
At the AWS Learning Center, 38 members of the Japanese delegation (from 9 Japanese companies, 3 local governments, the Consulate General, JETRO, NEDO, etc.) and 15 Tohoku University personnel participated. They received lectures on the data center
market and trends from Orrick (co-host of the AI Meetup) and on global data center strategy from AWS.
Day 1 (Thursday, September 25): Japan Seattle AI Innovation Meetup
The Japan Seattle AI Innovation Meetup (AI Meetup) is a matching event between cutting-edge startups (such as those in AI) in Washington State and Japanese big businesses. This was the 25th iteration since its first holding in March 2016. Specially Appointed Visiting Professor Tetsuro Eto has hosted the event in Seattle and via Zoom over the years.
https://www.youmaga.com/feature/spotlight/202503_eto/
The AI Meetup is an event officially endorsed by the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle and the State of Washington, based on the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between Japan and Washington State in 2016. MoC aims to promote exchanges in technology, trade, culture, and academia between the two countries/states.
https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/press/release/press4_009411.html
Since the 21st AI Meetup in 2023, Tohoku University has participated as a special joint organizer as part of the AOS activities, holding the event within the framework of the AOS workshop program run by both universities.
This time, the event was held at the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, featuring sessions and networking involving the Japanese delegation, 15 startups, and keynote speakers (Amazon, AWS, AI2, State Government, Orrick, UW CoMotion, Plug and Play, SBI Investment, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, and Tohoku University).
Day 1 (Thursday, September 25): UW-TU Quantum Academic Workshop
The “UW‒TU Quantum Academic Workshop” was held at Spratlen Hall, University of Washington. This event aims to promote international collaboration, focusing primarily on the field of quantum materials.
The morning session included tours of the materials science and physics laboratories at the University of Washington. In the afternoon, poster pitch talks and a poster session were held by students from both universities. The pitch talks introduced a variety of topics, including the fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect, altermagnetism, and
machine learning for 2D material design. Each student passionately shared the appeal and originality of their research. The brief, yet clear and impressive presentations captivated the entire audience, drawing them into the world of the students’ research.
The subsequent poster session involves active discussions as students and faculty visited each other’s booths. Professor Hideo Ohno, Special Senior Advisor to the President (former President of Tohoku University) participated throughout the day, listening to the students’ explanations, offering advice, and exchanging views, greatly encouraging the young researchers.
At the evening reception, awards were presented to students whose presentations were particularly outstanding. A total of four students, two each from the University of Washington and Tohoku University, received the Pitch Talk Award and the Poster Presentation Award. The originality of the research and the power of expression were highly evaluated by the judges.
This workshop provided a valuable opportunity for students to understand each other’s culture and values through research. A new relationship of trust has emerged between the young researchers of both universities, and further development of future joint research and personnel exchange is anticipated. Under the AOS program, the
collaboration between the University of Washington and Tohoku University is expected to deepen further, evolving into a core hub for an international research network aiming for the fusion of quantum science and next-generation information technology.
Day 2 (Friday, September 26): AOS Quantum Workshop
The AOS Quantum Workshop was held at Startup Hall, University of Washington. A total of about 70 participants attended, including Day 1 attendees, the Japanese delegation, and Japanese researchers based in Seattle.
After greetings from Nancy Allbritton, Dean of the College of Engineering at the
University of Washington, and Makoto Iyori, Consul General of Japan in Seattle, Professor Masahiro Yamaguchi, Vice President of Tohoku university introduced the “Recent Activities of Tohoku University,” outlining the process of the university’s certification as a University for International Research Excellence and its future vision for research and education. Furthermore, Professor Hideo Ohno, Special Senior Advisor to the President delivered a special keynote speech, sharing the history of his own research on world-leading spintronics and introducing his latest findings. Following this, Professor Makoto Kohda gave a lecture on “Quantum Spin Joint Research,” presenting the research achievements and prospects for further collaboration in the field of quantum materials between Tohoku University and the University of Washington. Jihui Yang, Vice Dean of College of Engineering, UW announced “AOS Q-DREAM” (Quantum, Disaster Resilience, Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Medicine) as a future initiative of AOS. This initiative aims to promote further collaboration between the two universities by focusing on five key areas: Quantum, Disaster Resilience, Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, and Medicine. Subsequently, Japanese researchers from UW and SIJP (Seattle IT Japanese Professionals) and SJRC (Seattle Japanese Research Community), JASSW(Japan-America Society of the State of Washington), JBAS(Japan Business Association of Seattle (Shunjukai)) introduced their
cutting-edge research and community activities. Active questions and exchanges of opinions were raised by the participants, resulting in a vigorous workshop. This workshop is expected to further promote international collaborative research between the two universities.
Watch the video below to see the highlights and energy from both days of the workshop!
Day 1 (Thursday, September 25): UW-TU Quantum Academic Workshop
Day 2 (Friday, September 26): AOS Quantum Workshop
Contact Information:
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TEL: 022-217-4844
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