Energy-Water-Compute Nexus Seminar Series

Unasked Questions: "Research Challenges in Data Centers That Break the Silos"

Thursday, November 3, 2026
12:00–1:30 p.m.

Discovery Partners Institute (DPI)
200 S. Wacker Drive, 20th Floor, Chicago, IL
CR 2032

Hybrid — In person + virtual

*Lunch will be provided at 11:30 AM for in-person attendees. In-person registration is limited.

Session Description | 

AI and data centers are reshaping energy grids, cooling infrastructure, and computing architecture at a pace that outstrips any single discipline. This panel brings together UIUC faculty from Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Science & Engineering, and Computer Science alongside an industry expert to surface the hard questions that fall between the cracks, the challenges that no single field owns but everyone in the space must confront. From grid reliability and renewable energy constraints to thermal management and software-hardware co-design, this conversation is designed to spark new research directions and collaborations across domains.

Featured Speakers

Huan Zhang Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Craig Bradshaw Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Charith Mendis Professor, Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Isik Kizilyalli CEO and Entrepreneur, Power Electronics & Energy Systems, Compute, Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Change

About the Series

The systems behind responsible AI.

Responsible AI extends across the full ecosystem: hardware, cooling and HVAC, new materials for heat transport, real-time GPU elasticity and the complex trade-offs between energy, water and compute.

The monthly Energy-Water-Compute Nexus Seminar Series brings together faculty and researchers from UIUC, UIC, UChicago, Northwestern and industry partners to surface new research ideas and build cross-institutional momentum around Responsible AI.

Hosted by Discovery Partners Institute and the Grainger College of Engineering, the series creates space for researchers, industry experts, partners and other stakeholders to examine the interconnected systems shaping AI's future.

Organized by
Prof. Klara Nahrstedt 
Prof. Phil Krein 
Jagadeesh Yedetore 

Discovery Partners Institute 
Grainger College of Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Questions: ynj@uillinois.edu
Event page: Energy-Water-Compute Nexus Seminar Series