Principal Investigator R Kemp
Principal Investigator Lynette Jones
Principal Investigator Michael Cusumano
Contact
Assistant
Global electricity demand is projected to nearly double by 2050, driven by the rapid electrification of buildings, transportation, and manufacturing. Compounding this pressure is the exponential growth of AI. While AI offers transformative potential across industries, it is also emerging as a significant energy consumer. Data centers, the digital engines powering AI, have more than doubled their electricity consumption since 2018 and now account for 4.4% of global demand. In the U.S., they are expected to consume up to 12% of total electricity by 2028.
This track will explore how the world can meet rising energy needs through the rapid expansion of sustainable energy production. From fusion and next-generation nuclear to renewables, grid-scale storage, decentralized systems, and forward-looking policies, we will examine the innovations and frameworks critical to building a resilient, low-carbon energy future. Addressing this challenge will require a bold vision, accelerated technological advancement, and unprecedented global collaboration.
Principal Investigator Jeffrey Hoffman
Principal Investigator Tomas Palacios
MIT Startup Exchange presents its September Startup Workshop, centered around sustainable materials innovation. MIT Startup Exchange works to help create partnerships between over 1,900 MIT-connected startups and industry, represented by MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) members. Today, there is a large and growing societal interest for greater sustainability in the material systems that provide for a modern life style. The call is across all industry sectors, and includes the entire value chain including raw materials, material processing, material uses, and end-of-cycle treatment/reuse. This represents a challenge and an opportunity for companies, and many MIT startups are developing and providing innovative technology and business model solutions. This workshop will present perspectives from industry leaders, academics, and corporate investors, while showcasing several MIT-connected startups in this field.
Transportation, power generation, and electricity generation depend heavily on the combustion of fossil and synthetic fuels. The next generation of combustion systems will need to be more efficient with lower emissions than the current. In this talk, I will discuss the coupling effects of two crucial components of combustion, chemical kinetics and fluid dynamics, on flame dynamics and soot emissions, and the physical insights for future combustion design. I will also discuss future research directions that combine combustion and material sciences to develop new technologies for energy sustainability.