Roundtables
Southeast Asia Summit on Prosperity and Sustainability
May 20th, 2025 | 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Stanford University
These roundtable discussions will bring together thought leaders, experts, and stakeholders to explore critical issues that will shape the future of Southeast Asia’s prosperity and sustainability. The sessions will address a diverse range of topics, including the future of manufacturing, with a focus on the impact of AI and reshoring trends; the ethical and technical challenges of AI in developing economies, especially in Southeast Asia; and opportunities for enhanced academic collaboration on Southeast Asia policy. Additionally, participants will examine the potential of geothermal energy in the region, explore strategies for effective carbon removal, and discuss the challenges of advancing battery manufacturing and nuclear energy in Southeast Asia. The discussions will also tackle key governance and funding challenges, exploring how regional cooperation and innovative financial solutions can overcome barriers to energy, food security, and long-term development. Together, these roundtables aim to foster dialogue and collaboration around critical issues that will help drive sustainable growth and innovation in the region.
Roundtable: Future of Geothermal in Southeast Asia | 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Surya Darma, Chairperson, Indonesia Center for Renewable Energy Studies, ICRES and President of the Board of Directors, PT Hasera Sagoesa
Roland Horne, Thomas Davies Barrow Professor and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy Energy Science & Engineering
Paul Thomsen, Vice President of Business Development, Ormat Technologies, Inc
Moderator: Sarah Sausan, Doctoral Researcher, Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford University
Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Philippines, allegedly hold around 50% of the world’s geothermal resources. Nonetheless, less than 1% of that is utilized on the back of sub-optimal tariff structure and lack of technological innovation. Economic and technological innovation would not only unleash energy creation by orders of magnitude but also answer the respective countries’, or even the region’s, energy issues.
Academic to Academic Collaboration | 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Megan Crocker, Director, Strategic Partnerships, CSIRO US
Sebastian Fendt, Chair of Energy Systems, Technical University of Munich
Florian Lintl, Operational Director, TUM Venture Labs
Iskandar Siregar, Professor in Silviculture; Vice Rector for Global Connectivity, Collaboration and Alumni, IPB University; Chairperson, Indonesian Society of Arboriculture
Lavi Rizki Zuhal, Professor of Aerodynamics and Chair of Fluid Dynamics and Propulsion Research Group, Institut Teknologi Bandung
Moderator: Jimmy Chen, Managing Director, StorageX Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy
Moderator: David Cohen, Co-Director, Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford University
In an era marked by a growing trend toward isolation, the need for global collaboration has never been more urgent. This roundtable will examine real-world examples of academic-to-academic partnerships that are driving innovation, talent exchange, and cooperation in areas such as supply chains, critical minerals, the circular economy, and more. Together, we will also explore new models of engagement and identify additional thematic areas where international collaboration can have the greatest impact.
Roundtable: Future of Manufacturing and Workplace that Helps Push for Prosperity and Sustainability | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Yet-Ming Chiang, Kyocera Professor of Ceramics, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, MIT
Regina Freed, Vice President, AIx Solutions
C. Karen Liu, Professor, Computer Science, Stanford University
Hassan Khan, Former Director of Economic Security, CHIPS Program Office
Moderator: H.-S. Philip Wong, Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering, former Vice President of Corporate Research at TSMC
The discussion will address the significant shift of manufacturing activities from China to other regions of the world, including Southeast Asia. This transition coincides with two major shifts in manufacturing: (a) transition to highly automated, AI and robotics assisted manufacturing (robo-facturing), and (b) manufacturing of advanced technology products requires innovation on the production floor for continuous process improvement (inno-facturing). Robo-facturing is expected to replace traditional manu-facturing methods that rely on manual processes and low-cost labor. Inno-facturing will need high-skilled workers with ability to continuous learn new skills and stay innovative. These shifts will inevitably reshape workplaces, requiring higher energy usage, depend more on computing, and introducing new paradigms. It is crucial to approach these developments carefully to ensure they are implemented sustainably.
Roundtable: Governance | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
David Cohen, Co-Director, Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Stanford University
Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Founding Partner of Ikhlas Capital, Chairman of ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Malaysia
Suzanne Eloise Siskel, Executive VP and COO of the Asia Foundation
Moderator: The Honorable Scot Marciel, Former Ambassador to Myanmar and Indonesia
Governance obstacles to energy and food security in Southeast Asia vary across the region but include fragmented and overlapping institutional structures, limited transparency, challenges in implementing laws and regulatory frameworks, and competing policy mandates at the national level. At the regional level, cooperation is institutionalized in ASEAN mechanisms and policy instruments but limited by divergent national interests, extremes in levels of economic development, and the ASEAN principles of consensus, respect for national sovereignty, and non-interference. The keys here are building flexible and responsive institutional frameworks that align with and can effectively implement ASEAN goals and policies. Challenges for the new ASEAN Blueprint 2026-2035 being drafted include: How can the process of regional economic integration mapped out in the 2016-2025 ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint be advanced and achieved? How can ASEAN bodies charged with sustainability, energy, food security, governance, and related mandates be strengthened?
Roundtable: Carbon Removal | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Ronny Hutahayan, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Housing and Settlement Infrastructure Development, Republic of Indonesia
Robert Litterman, Chairman, Risk Committee, Chairman of Climate Policy; Founding Partner, Kepos Capital LP
Götz Martin, CEO Nature Based Solutions, Golden Agri-Resources
Amanda Niode Katili, Director, The Climate Reality Project Indonesia
Marc Roston, Senior Research Scholar, Precourt Institute for Energy
Moderator: Tom Heller, Professor Emeritus, Director, Sustainable Finance Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy
Moderator: Sarah Saltzer, Managing Director of the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage (SCCS), the Smart Fields Consortium (SFC) and the Stanford University Energy Transition Research Institute B (SUETRI-B) Reservoir Simulation program
Successful carbon dioxide removals in Southeast Asia (and globally) will require sound science, transparent carbon accounting and scalable market architectures with prices that can support the real costs of terrestrial, geological and oceanic storage. How can the region develop and implement financial incentives, regional policy/regulatory collaborations and capacity-building programs around a diverse portfolio of nature-based and engineered removals solutions that will complement the decarbonization foreseen in its energy and agroforestry transitions?
Roundtable: Funding or Economic Capital Formation | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Stefanus Ade Hadiwidjaja, Managing Director Investment, Danantara Indonesia
Allison Huynh, Managing Partner, Alo Ventures
Sanjeev Khagram, Foundation Professor, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Jeep Kline, Founder & Managing Partner, Raisewell Ventures
Ashby Monk, Senior Research Engineer, School of Engineering at Stanford University
Tan Sri Nazir Razak, Founding Partner of Ikhlas Capital, Chairman of ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Malaysia
Moderator: The Honorable Gita Wirjawan, Visiting Scholar, Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University
Underdeveloped capital markets, high investment risks, limited long-term financing, and constrained fiscal capacities block funding and economic capital formation in Southeast Asia’s developing economies. How can they build the needed innovative multilateral financing, regional financial integration, digital financial infrastructure, and risk mitigation strategies? What does success look like, (e.g. blended finance, better risk assessment, continuous regulatory improvements, regional financial development cooperation)?
Roundtable: Batteries | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Gita Sjahrir-Wright, Senior Advisor, TBS Energi
Hugh Ross, Head of Products, Peak Energy
Kunal Sinha, SVP Marketing and Global Head of Recycling, Glencore
Jack Yang, President Director and CEO, Electrum
Moderator: Vivas Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Mitra Chem
Low-income Southeast Asian countries face significant challenges in developing domestic battery manufacturing, due to high capital investment requirements, limited technological capabilities, supply chain dependencies, and intense global competition. How can these challenges be surmounted through financial mechanisms, industrial policies, and international partnerships? Which of the eight Southeast Asian countries with developing economies are best situated to succeed here, based on mineral resources, a skilled workforce, government commitment to industrial development, and geographical advantages?
Roundtable: Nuclear | 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
David Fedor, Stephenson Policy Fellow, Hoover Institution
William Madia, Vice President Emeritus, Stanford University
Ray Rothrock, Investor, Revic AI; FiftySix Investments
Moderator: The Honorable Steven Chu, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and of Energy Science and Engineering; Former U.S. Secretary of Department of Energy
Southeast Asia does not have an operating nuclear power plant. (The Philippines built one, then mothballed it immediately upon completion due to the Chernobyl disaster.) Indonesia has been exploring nuclear power and has plans to potentially develop nuclear energy, with some preliminary site assessments and feasibility studies. Thailand has occasionally discussed nuclear power but not much more than that, while Vietnam suspended its nuclear power program in 2016. Key barriers include high initial investment costs, limited technical infrastructure, public resistance due to a preference for renewable sources, and safety concerns, including earthquake-prone regions. Should the region pursue nuclear power generation? If so, how can it overcome these barriers, for example by focusing on small modular reactors, joint research and training programs among the countries interested, etc.?
Roundtable: AI, Chips, and Energy: Catalyzing Digital Prosperity & Sustainability | 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Allison Huynh, Managing Partner, Alo Ventures
Thang Luong, Senior Staff Research Scientist, Google DeepMind
Amit Narayan, Founder & CEO, Aina Climate AI Ventures
H.-S. Philip Wong, Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering, former Vice President of Corporate Research at TSMC
Moderator: Liang Min, Managing Director Bits & Watts Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy
As AI transforms industries and societies, building the infrastructure to support it, AI, chips, and energy, has become a strategic priority. For Southeast Asia, the opportunity is twofold: harness AI to drive inclusive economic growth, while building systems that are sustainable, resilient, and adapted to local needs. This panel will explore how to accelerate the development of AI infrastructure in the region, addressing challenges such as energy access and reliability, semiconductor supply chains, and equitable data ecosystems. It will also examine how infrastructure choices made today can shape long-term prosperity, climate outcomes, and digital sovereignty. By connecting regional ambitions with global innovation and investment, the discussion will highlight practical pathways to ensure Southeast Asia is not just a user of AI technologies—but a builder and shaper of the digital future.