Cambridge Future Technologies Forum

Powered by MICROIP x Arculus System
Hosted by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

The Forum is designed as a space for cross-sector exchange on industrial strategy, commercial opportunity and sustainable development. It will also shine a light on emerging talent through the final round of the Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026.

Purpose

In a world reshaped by AI, semiconductors have become one of the defining strategic technologies of our time. They power advances in AI and digital systems across communications, energy, consumer electronics, mobility and manufacturing – shaping the efficiency and resilience of the systems on which modern economies depend.

The invite-only Cambridge Future Technologies Forum convenes leaders, investors and trailblazers proactively shaping the next era of technology systems innovation – exploring the possibilities at the intersection of AI, semiconductors and sustainability. 

The Forum is designed as a space for cross-sector exchange on industrial strategy, commercial opportunity and sustainable development. It will also shine a light on emerging talent through the final round of the Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026.

Why attend

The Forum is designed for leaders looking beyond the immediate AI hype cycle to the deeper questions about resilience, sovereignty and sustainable technological innovation now coming into view. 

Delegates can expect a mix of keynote perspectives, panel discussions, networking opportunities, curated innovation showcases, and presentations by finalist student teams working on designing smarter, more resource efficient AI systems.

Themes explored include:

• The future of AI systems innovation
• Semiconductor innovation as a strategic enabler of sustainable digital systems
• The commercial, geopolitical and policy implications of next-generation computing infrastructure
• Research, industry and entrepreneurship working together to accelerate breakthrough innovation

Programme

The day's outline includes:

09:30–10:00   Registration and welcome

10:00–11:20   Opening remarks, keynote and panel discussion

11:40–13:00   Fireside chat with Dr James Yang and Viola Jardon; panel discussion

13:00–14:30   Networking lunch & Entopia building tour

14:30–15:30   Final round presentations of the Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026

15:45–17:15   Innovation showcases, student challenge prize award and closing remarks

17:15–18:30   Networking drinks

The full programme will be announced in due course.

Contributors

Discussions will feature a select group of voices from across academia, industry, finance, innovation and more.

Dr Konrad Young

CEO of Industry-Academia Innovation College, NTUST; Director & Fellow, Arculus Lab; former R&D Director at TSMC

Dr Konrad Young holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley. He has extensive semiconductor R&D experience, including at MIT Lincoln Lab, HP, and TSMC, where he led development of advanced process technologies from 0.18-micron to 65-nanometer nodes. Known as one of TSMC’s “Six Knights” for his role in integrating logic processes, he later managed TSMC’s R&D in the U.S. After retiring, he served as an independent director at SMIC and advisor to Intel. Currently, he is CEO at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Industry-Academia Innovation College, focusing on talent development.

Viola Jardon

Director of Innovation Programmes

Viola Jardon is the Director of Innovation Programmes at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), where she leads strategic partnerships with corporates to drive sustainability transformation through startup-led solutions. She designs and delivers tailored innovation programmes that bridge corporates, investors, and early-stage ventures, supporting over 400 startups to date. Previously, Viola was a founding member of the London Fashion Fund and has over 15 years of experience in the tech sector across the UK and Asia. A 2023 finalist for the UK Asian Women of Achievement Award, she is also a regular speaker and judge at global sustainability and innovation forums, championing the intersection of corporate partnerships and sustainable innovation.

Dr Simon Hsu

General Partner, iDSoftCapital Group

Dr Hsu is the Chief Operating Officer of National Institutes of Applied Research and a General Partner at iDSoftCapital Group, a venture capital firm. He previously served as General Manager of Acer Communications Inc., Strategic Project Director, and Chief Investment Officer for Acer’s New and Cloud Business. Before joining Acer, Dr. Hsu led the Corporate Development and M&A Team at Foxconn Technology Group, where he was involved in strategic initiatives across semiconductors, automotive, and telecommunications sectors. He holds academic credentials in engineering and finance from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, the University of Cambridge, and New York University.

James Yang

Co-Founder and Chairman, MICROIP x Arculus System

Dr Yang is an integrated circuit (IC) design specialist with decades of experience in network, communications and image-processing chips. Before establishing MICROIP and Arculus System, he held senior roles across the semiconductor and electronics industry, building deep expertise in advanced chip design, design automation and system-level integration. He now leads MICROIP x Arculus System’s work at the intersection of cutting-edge chip development and the software tools that support it, with a focus on shortening the path from concept to mass production and enabling more energy-efficient, intelligent systems for global markets.

Lata Sahonta

Co-Founder and R&D Project Manager, Kubos Semiconductors

Lata Sahonta is co-founder at Kubos Semiconductors, a University of Cambridge spinout developing next-generation LEDs for high-value display and communications markets. A physicist with fifteen years’ experience in semiconductor materials research, Lata received a PhD for their work on gallium nitride development from the University of Bristol followed by a Marie Curie Fellowship in Greece investigating novel gallium nitride nanostructures. After undertaking commercial R&D roles at Renishaw and Unilever, Lata joined the University of Cambridge to continue their semiconductor research, and in 2018 co-founded Kubos Semiconductors to commercialise innovative gallium nitride-based LED technologies.

Professor Sir Richard Friend

Director of Research, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge; former Cavendish Professor of Physics

Sir Richard Friend is a physicist at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, where his research over four decades has shaped the field of organic semiconductor electronics. He held the Cavendish Professorship of Physics from 1995 to 2020 and now serves as Research Professor in the Department of Physics. His group’s work on carbon-based semiconducting polymers led to some of the earliest efficient light-emitting diodes made from these materials, laying groundwork later commercialised through the Cambridge spin-out companies he co-founded, including Cambridge Display Technology and Plastic Logic.

Spencer Brennan

CEO & Founder, Neutreeno

Spencer Brennan is the founder of Neutreeno, a Cambridge company building the first system to decarbonise industry at scale. Neutreeno works with L'Oréal, National Grid, General Motors, Sony, Danone and Specsavers, and is a nominee for the Earthshot Prize. Spencer spent 15 years as a sustainability scientist across environmental and chemical engineering, and holds a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge on ultra-high resolution measurement and sustainable energy systems. He held Canada's NSERC scholarship for international study and was the first researcher outside the United States to win the American Chemical Society's young researcher award. His foundational principles for Scope 3 measurement and supply chain decarbonisation were just published in One Earth. He taught engineering at Cambridge and captained the hockey team.

Russ Shaw, CBE

Founder, Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates

Sir Richard Friend is a physicist at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory, where his research over four decades has shaped the field of organic semiconductor electronics. He held the Cavendish Professorship of Physics from 1995 to 2020 and now serves as Research Professor in the Department of Physics. His group’s work on carbon-based semiconducting polymers led to some of the earliest efficient light-emitting diodes made from these materials, laying groundwork later commercialised through the Cambridge spin-out companies he co-founded, including Cambridge Display Technology and Plastic Logic.

Bruno Montez-Carpes

Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Capricornio Capital

Bruno Montez-Carpes is the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Capricornio Capital, a London-based investment firm focused on Latin America and the growing markets, including the expanded BRICS nations. As a seasoned global private equity executive with over 25 years of experience, he has held roles both at portfolio companies and at fund level, and has successfully led over 100 transactions across multiple countries, including IPOs, turnarounds, buy-and-build strategies, as well as extensive M&A and fundraising activity. He is also the co-founder and organiser of the investment conferences Brazil Investment Week in London, Dubai, Shanghai and Hong Kong, LatAm Invest UK, and is the Global CFO for SleepUp, a Brazilian-British Medical Device platform for Sleep Therapy. Mr Montez-Carpes holds degrees in Economics, International Accounting and Law, and is originally from Brazil.

Marta Ostroumoff

Chief Financial Officer, Axelera AI

Marta (FCCA, BSc) joined Axelera® AI in July 2025 as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Marta's exceptional career spans 20+ years across fast growing, high-tech, VC-backed businesses across multiple industries. Most recently, Marta was the CFO of Oxa, a self-driving software development company, where she successfully executed multiple financing rounds and M&A activities. Marta is known for being an enabler of growth which supports business acceleration. She focuses on partnering across the business to build the right financial strategies, effective long-term plans, and building collaborative, agile & resilient teams.

Questions

Contact accelerator@cisl.cam.ac.uk should you have any questions about this event.