Rolf de Vegt of Qualcomm

Position IEEE802.11 in the broader ecosystem context and highlight adjacent industry programs that build on the IEEE802.11 foundation. For example the role of the Wi-Fi Alliance and other industry associations, as well as developments in the realm of spectrum management. To wrap up the talk will share some perspectives for the Wi-Fi 9 generation.

Biography:

Rolf is currently VP of Technical Standards at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. With over 30 years of telecommunication and semiconductor industry experience, he leads technology standard development for key technologies in the
connectivity semiconductor business unit and leads Qualcomm Technologies participation in IEEE802.11 standardization. He currently serves on the boards of the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Thread Group.

More details can be found at: Rolf de Vegt | LinkedIn

Alfred Asterjadhi   of Qualcomm

IEEE P802.11bn will serve as the foundation for the upcoming Wi-Fi 8 generation and represents the next step in WLAN evolution beyond Wi-Fi 7, with a focus on user-experience-oriented performance improvements in reliability, latency, and robustness across a variety of operating conditions. This presentation provides an overview of the key features and optimizations being developed for the IEEE 802.11bn Physical layer (PHY) and Medium Access Control layer (MAC) and highlights their role in delivering an improved Wi-Fi experience.

Biography:

Alfred Asterjadhi is a Principal Engineer at Qualcomm Wireless R&D and an active contributor to IEEE 802.11. He is the 1^st Vice Chair of IEEE 802.11, the Chair of IEEE 802.11bn (Wi-Fi 8) and has previously held key leadership roles as Chair of IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), Vice Chair of IEEE 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) and IEEE 802.11ah (HaLow), where he also served as Technical Editor.

Alfred has played a central role in the development, standardization, and certification of multiple IEEE 802.11 amendments, with a focus on improving efficiency, scalability, and power optimization in Wi-Fi networks. He has authored numerous technical publications, including books on underwater acoustic networking and ultra-low power wake-up radios. He earned his Ph.D. in Information Engineering, and his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Padova, Italy.

Dr. Dong Wei of Huawei, Futurewei Technologies

The emerging IEEE 802.11bq standard, also known as Integrated Millimeter
Wave, enables extremely high-speed data transfer over short distances, particularly for indoor environments, and aims to meet the demands of emerging applications like augmented reality and virtual reality that require high throughput, low latency, high reliability, and deterministic user experience. The wireless LAN advancements significantly enhance Fiber-to-the-Room networks by maximizing coverage, minimizing interference, and enabling seamless connectivity throughout a home or enterprise.

Biography:

Dr. Dong Wei is principal standards representative with Futurewei Technologies and has been an active contributor to the IEEE 802.11 WLAN Working Group. His current research interest includes wireless connectivity for data transmission, sensing, and positioning. Dr. Wei is a senior member of the IEEE and received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees (all in Electrical and Computer Engineering) from Tsinghua University, Rice University, and The University of Texas at Austin, respectively.

Dr. Klaus Doppler of Nokia

Artificial intelligence reshapes how devices operate and interact. Autonomous systems and connected robots rely on wireless networks to exchange data and make decisions in real time. Immersive technologies like augmented and virtual reality are moving closer to the mainstream, demanding networks capable of delivering extremely responsive interactions and consistently high performance. Expectations around connectivity are rising. As 10Gbps and even 25 Gbps next generation fibre broadband are widely available, users expect these speeds across their devices over Wi-Fi. Meeting these expectations, Wi-Fi 9 needs to focus on real-world performance, not just theoretical peak speeds. Multi-gigabit speeds that users actually experience on their devices. Predictable and reliable connectivity, particularly for emerging use cases like immersive media, robotics and tactile interaction where delays beyond 10ms and packet loss cannot be tolerated. I will provide an early perspective on Wi-Fi 9, candidate technologies and promising research directions.

Prasanna Desai of Intel

This talk explores how Wi-Fi signals can provide accurate, real-time information about the distance and velocity of surrounding objects for physical AI applications such as target tracking, collision avoidance, gesture recognition, and trajectory planning. Using delay calibration, phase synchronization, and techniques to suppress self-interference and static clutter, a prototype based on conventional Wi-Fi hardware achieves performance comparable to a commercial millimeter-wave radar. The results demonstrate the potential of Wi-Fi as an integrated communication and sensing platform for physical AI and consumer applications.

Biography:

Prasanna Desai is a Senior Principal Engineer and engineering manager in Intel’s Client Computing and Physical AI Group. He has spent more than 30 years contributing to the development and commercialization of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, Zigbee, and satellite communications technologies and chipsets. He is an IEEE member and holds an M.S.E.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in Communication Theory and Systems, from the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Don Tan of E2+ Systems

This talk offers a zooming-out, cross-society, cross-disciplinary perspective for the workshop. As Wi-Fi networks take on more AI-driven workloads — edge inference, sensing analytics, and beyond — the power demands on wireless network infrastructure are rising and can no longer be treated as a secondary concern. At the same time, WiFi sensing can support facility monitoring and distributed power monitoring and control, making wireless technology part of the solution as well as part of the demand. This talk broadens the lens beyond Wi-Fi network nodes to examine the power challenges of AI infrastructure at large, from data centers to the grid.

Recent studies predict the power level per rack in data centers is going from 100kW to 1MW (Microsoft, Google, and Meta). The overall electricity demand for “AI factories” is doubling to 1,000 TWh annually by 2030 (EPRI and Deloitte). “The end of AI is energy” sentiment reflects the severity of the “Power Wall” challenge (No conventional solutions). Breaking this seemingly-impossible “Power Wall” requires technical breakthroughs in the entire AI hardware/software ecosystems. Solution space includes, but not limited to, Energy-efficient large-language models, Liquid cooling from chip direct to plate, Immersion cooling with oil, Next-gen GPUs, TPUs and ASIC accelerators, HBM4 memories, WLP and specialized optical interconnects, Small modular nuclear reactors, Quantum computing and
Fusion. Power connection/generation, distribution, processing and management are critical. Main steps for powering
computing industry are briefly reviewed, focusing on power, thermal management, and networking. Energy-efficient
architecture are then discussed. Flexible electronic Large Power Transformers (FeLPTs) are emerging as a critical
technology node. FeLPTs circuit options and challenges in interfacing with power grids are discussed. Structured
microgrids, stand-alone or connected, are natural for efficient data center power parks. Desired features for UPS
systems, together with its required storage capacity, are then presented. Potential in-rack, off-board, and on-board power
processing circuits, including vertical power distribution, and system solutions are then explored.

Biography:

Dr. Don Tan is Founder/CTO, E2+ Systems. He was Distinguished
Engineer/Fellow/Center Director at a Fortune 500 corporation. Don is Member of US National Academy of Engineering, IEEE Fellow. He earned his Ph.D. from Caltech. A visionary technical leader in ultra-efficient power conversion and electronic energy systems, Don has pioneered breakthrough innovations with high impact industry firsts with record performances, receiving recognitions from the highest level of Government. His hardware on JWST is functioning flawlessly millions of miles away from the earth. Dr. Tan’s professional leadership and services include IEEE VP & TAB Chair, Division II Director, IEEE Fellow Committee Chair, President of PELS, Founding President of TEC, Founding Editor-in-Chief of JESTPE, General Conference Chair of APEC (IEEE 4th largest), IEEE/Google Little Box Challenge Chair, IEEE/DoD P1515/1573 Standards Working Group Chairs, and PELS LAC Chapter Chair. He is Distinguished Lecturer for IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) and IEEE Transportation Electrification Council (TEC). Don received IEEE PELS Middlebrook Achievement Award, McMurry Industry Achievement Award, Distinguished Achievement Award for Aerospace, Owen, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, JESTPE Prize Paper Award, JANNAF In-Space Propulsion Award, AIAA System Development Award, AAEOY Engineer of the Year Award, NGST Distinguished Patent Award, and NGST President Award for Innovation.