From September 7 to 9, 2026, the 10th U.S.-Japan Digital Innovation Hub and Advanced Technology Workshop was held at Purdue University in Indiana. The workshop brought together approximately 150 participants from government, academia, and industry across Japan and the United States.
Tohoku University was represented by Executive Vice President Masahiro Yamaguchi, Chair of the Japan-side Program Committee, as well as fellow committee member Professor Hiroaki Kobayashi of the Graduate School of Information Sciences. Professor Tetsuo Endoh, Director of the Center for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems (CIES), delivered a keynote address and served as a panelist in the semiconductors session, while Professor Toshinori Kuwahara, Director of the Research Center for Space Cross-Tech, participated as a panelist in the space-themed session.
The overarching theme of this year’s workshop was “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Convergence.” Discussions were based on a shared recognition that the convergence of technologies such as semiconductors, quantum technologies, materials and manufacturing – brought about by AI – is transforming relationships between academia, industry, and government, as well as approaches to talent development and investment. Innovation systems themselves are now in flux.
Following an opening keynote, the workshop featured six thematic sessions: “AI Transformation,” “Semiconductors,” “Materials & Manufacturing,” “Tech Diplomacy,” “Space,” and “Quantum.”
On the final day, the “Future Collaboration Session” brought participants together to review the discussions and scope out plans for the future. Dr. Shuzaburo Takeda, a founding member of the U.S.-Japan Digital Innovation Hub and a member of the Japan-side Organizing Committee, emphasized that advances in AI are having a significant impact on society and innovation systems, and that U.S. science and technology policy is also entering a period of transition in response to the AI era. He expressed his expectation that the valuable network built through the 10 annual workshops held to date would be leveraged to develop concrete U.S.-Japan collaborations over the next 10 years.
With its advanced research and industrial collaboration in cutting-edge fields such as semiconductors and space engineering, Tohoku University has been a major contributor to the Digital Innovation Hub, and has played a key role in strengthening the foundations of the U.S.-Japan collaboration. Going forward, the University will continue to contribute to the industry-academia-government network fostered through the Digital Innovation Hub, to promote innovation, and to develop the next generation of world-class talent.
Contact:
Global Engagement Division
Email: kokusai-k*grp.tohoku.ac.jp / kokusai-c*grp.tohoku.ac.jp
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