Shanghai Jiao Tong University Hosts 2025 Academic Seminar on AI and Energy

Shanghai Jiao Tong University successfully hosted the 2025 “AI + Energy” Academic Seminar from May 24 to 25, 2025, at the National Electric Power Investment Smart Energy Innovation Institute. This event was organized by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and coordinated by the Smart Energy Innovation Institute. The opening ceremony was led by Zhu Xiaohong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the National Electric Power Investment Smart Energy Innovation Institute.

In his opening remarks, Huang Zhen, founding director of the Smart Energy Innovation Institute, introduced the institute’s mission. As the first academic institution in China focused on smart energy, its goal is to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries through interdisciplinary collaboration and integration between industry and education. He emphasized that AI is no longer merely a tool in the energy sector; it is reshaping education, energy research, and engineering, fundamentally changing knowledge supply models and research innovation paradigms, which in turn has significant implications for higher education and the energy industry.

To enhance academic exchange and collaboration on “AI + Energy” among universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University initiated this seminar, which aimed to focus on talent cultivation, scientific research, and engineering application innovations in the energy discipline. The seminar sought to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by “AI + Energy.” Xi Lifeng, Executive Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, addressed the audience, stating that artificial intelligence is revolutionizing research paradigms and industrial ecosystems in the energy sector. He highlighted the university’s active response to national energy strategy needs and its commitment to deepening the integration of industry and education through the Smart Energy Innovation Institute.

He further noted that the university has developed an integrated model for education, research, and industry in the energy field, achieving significant breakthroughs in areas like smart energy. The seminar’s objective was to focus on “AI + Energy” academic research, talent development, and collaborative innovation within industries, creating an open and shared academic platform for exploring new pathways in energy technology development and accelerating the application of AI in the energy sector to support the country’s energy independence and the achievement of dual carbon goals.

Mei Hong, Director of the School of Information Science and Technology at Peking University, delivered a keynote report titled “Technological Innovation in the Age of Digitalization and AI.” He shared profound insights on digital transformation and technological innovation in the AI era, discussing the transition from agricultural and industrial civilizations to digital civilization, as well as the evolution of research paradigms from empirical science to data-intensive science. He highlighted the core role of data in scientific research and emphasized that AI should serve as an assistant to humanity, advancing human civilization.

During the invited report session, He Wangli, Deputy Dean of the School of Information Science and Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology, and Jin Yaohui, Chief Engineer at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, presented on topics such as “AI Empowering Process Manufacturing and Energy Supply Regulation” and “The Integration of Mechanistic Models and Data: A New Engine for AI-Enabled Molecular Synthesis and Its Implications for Smart Energy.”

Furthermore, Wu Fei, Dean of the Undergraduate School at Zhejiang University, Wang Hongdong, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Li Hui, Deputy Director of the National Energy Storage Industry-Education Integration Platform at Xi’an Jiaotong University, shared their experiences in AI-enabled educational reforms at their respective institutions.

At the conference, six universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Tianjin University, and Dalian University of Technology, jointly issued an initiative for the “AI + Energy” Extracurricular Science and Technology Innovation Competition for university students. This competition aims to identify and nurture a large number of innovative thinkers skilled in AI technology, providing intellectual support for the country’s energy green transformation and its digitization and intelligence efforts, thereby promoting high-quality development in energy-related talent cultivation.

In the “AI for Energy Education” session, Professor Liu Xiaojing, Deputy Dean of the National Electric Power Investment Smart Energy Institute, and Professor Liu Yanli, Deputy Dean of the Future Technology Institute at Tianjin University, presented invited reports sharing their experiences in professional development, teaching reform, and talent cultivation in the AI + Energy field.

Huang Zhen moderated a roundtable discussion titled “Artificial Intelligence and Educational Reform,” engaging with panelists including Jin Yaohui, Liu Xiaojing, Liu Yanli, Wang Hongdong, Yan Junchi, Li Jun, and Zhang Jun to discuss essential questions such as “How should students learn in the AI era?” “How should teachers teach?” and “What should schools do?” The experts agreed that the core value of education must return to the fundamental qualities of individuals that AI cannot replace, emphasizing the importance of nurturing students’ values, innovative thinking, and problem-solving abilities.

In the “AI for Energy Research & Engineering” section, experts delved into the applications of AI technology in energy research and engineering. The discussions centered around the latest research achievements in areas such as fuel design, battery material development, fuel cell optimization, and hydrogen energy system development. They showcased innovative applications of AI technology in energy system modeling, intelligent control, and performance prediction.

The seminar also featured a graduate student forum where 15 selected graduate papers were presented, showcasing outstanding research and awarding prizes for exceptional contributions. The conference attracted over 200 representatives, including Zheng Mingguang, Chief Scientist at the National Electric Power Investment Corporation, Yan Junjie, Vice President of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Wang Tianyou, Vice President of Tianjin University, Song Yongchen, former Vice President of Dalian University of Technology, and leading professors and experts from well-known universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Tianjin University, Wuhan University, Southeast University, Chongqing University, Shandong University, North China Electric Power University, and China University of Petroleum.

During the event, attendees also toured the Smart Energy Campus developed by the National Electric Power Investment Smart Energy Innovation Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, fostering collaboration between academia and industry. This academic event established a high-level platform to provide innovative ideas for addressing common issues in “AI + Energy,” contributing wisdom and strength to the cultivation of innovative talent in energy disciplines and the high-quality development of national energy.