Week-long programming on technology, innovation and decarbonization—centered in the “CERAWeek Agora-X”—will be a major focus at the world’s preeminent energy conference, to be held virtually March 1-5
Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, will be among the technology and innovation speakers at CERAWeek by IHS Markit 2021—the world’s preeminent energy conference—to be held virtually March 1-5.
Mr. Jassy will speak about reinventing the energy industry for a more sustainable future and will join a lineup of technology leaders such as Moderna co-founder and chairman Noubar Afeyan, Microsoft chief environmental officer Lucas Joppa and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz.
CERAWeek 2021: The New Map: Energy, Climate and Charting the Futurewill examine a new global map being shaped by dramatic shifts in energy and geopolitics—a map defined less by physical and political boundaries than by policies, technology, alliances and possibly collisions in global commerce and politics.
Inspired by the new book, The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations by IHS Markit Vice Chairman and CERAWeek Chairman Daniel Yergin, the conference program will focus on key themes related to Energy Transition; Geopolitics, Economics and Markets; Investment and Financing; Technology and Innovation; Mobility and the Future Workforce.
The CERAWeek Agora-X will serve as the central hub of the technology and innovation program at the virtual conference. It will feature a community of thought leaders, technologists, start-ups, investors, academics, energy companies and government officials to explore emerging technologies in the energy space—from digital and AI to storage, renewables, mobility, hydrogen, nuclear, additive manufacturing and agile design, robotics and more.
The CERAWeek Agora-X program is available to all CERAWeek registrants and will comprise a series of candid conversations, on-demand presentations and discussions, anchored by the Voices of Innovation series featuring intimate, one-on-one conversations with thought leaders including:
- Noubar Afeyan, co-founder and chairman, Moderna.Interviewed by Walter Isaacson, author and professor of history, Tulane University
- Arun Majumdar, founding director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Interviewed by Atul Arya, senior vice president and chief energy strategist, IHS Markit
- Jon Hirschtick, founderand former CEO of SolidWorks. Interviewed by James Rosenfield, CERAWeek co-founder and senior vice president, IHS Markit
- Ernest J. Moniz, president and CEO, Energy Futures Initiative. Former U.S. Secretary of Energy. Interviewed by Pratima Rangarajan, CEO, OGCI Climate Investments
- Walter Isaacson, author and professor of history, Tulane University. Interviewed by Susan Hockfield, president emerita and professor of neuroscience, MIT
- Maria Zuber, vice president for research and E.A. Griswold professor of geophysics, MIT. Interviewed by Antonia Bullard, senior associate, IHS Markit
The CERAWeek Agora-X program also includes Studio sessions—moderated dialogues with 2-3 guest speakers on emerging and disruptive technologies—focused on topics such as:
- Low Carbon Hydrogen: Production technologies and costs
- What Happens to Mobility in the Post-pandemic World?
- New Horizons for Energy and Climate Research
- How Will the Energy Innovation Ecosystem Evolve?
- Utility-scale Batteries and Storage: What’s Ahead?
“The convergence of technology and energy has never been stronger,” said Daniel Yergin, vice chairman, IHS Markit and CERAWeek conference chair. “That became a major theme of my new book, The New Map and it will be an inseparable component of this year’s conference.” Whether it is the increased digitization of the industry; how the future of mobility is impacting energy (and vice versa); or the continued evolution of renewables and decarbonization, a wave of innovation is shaping—and being shaped by—the energy future. The breadth and depth of the technology and innovation program, centered in the CERAWeek Agora-X, shows how tech and energy have become synonymous with each other. They are really one in the same.”
Key themes to be explored across the CERAWeek Agora-X program include:
- Decarbonization Pathways: Measurement, initiatives, and new fuel solutions
- Digital Transformation Technologies: Computing, analytics, operations, and risks
- Mobility and Built Environment: Vehicles, urban centers, and mobility
- Innovation and Digital Workforce: Investment, inclusion, and innovation ecosystems
- Clean Power Technologies: Advanced technologies, renewables integration, storage, and new supply chains
Learn more about the CERAWeek Agora-X program at: https://ceraweek.com/program/innovation-agora.html
CERAWeek by IHS Markit is the premier annual international gathering of energy industry leaders, experts, government officials and policymakers, leaders from the technology, financial and industrial communities – and energy technology innovators. CERAWeek 2021 marks the 39th installment of the conference and is the first time that it will be an all-virtual event. The conference is produced by IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.
