Future Tech Forum + CIC Asia 2025

December 1, 2025 

Forum | 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Networking Mixer | 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 

Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur 
 

Register Interest Here!

The Convergence Innovation Competition (CIC) Asia and Future Tech Forum is a new and signature event organized by the Institute for People and Technology (IPaT) at Georgia Institute of Technology and hosted yearly in a different Asian nation. CIC Asia 2025 and Future Tech Forum will be held on December 1 at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. The program is organized in partnership with the Malaysia Ministry of Digital. This follows a highly successful event held in December 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan.

This year, the Future Tech Forum will focus on innovations, opportunities, and advancements associated with human-centered AI, sustainable data centers, and digital trust and security. Expert panels and speakers from Asia, Georgia Tech, and beyond will discuss the state of art in a rapidly changing world, with particular attention to what it means for Asian nations. 

Running alongside the Future Tech Forum will be the final round of judging for the Convergence Innovation Competition. CIC Asia brings together student teams from across Asia and Georgia Tech to tackle global challenges through innovative and viable product and service ideas that respond to one or more UN Sustainable development Goals. This year, we are focusing on teams from China, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, with participating universities in each of these countries. Student teams from across the participating countries will assemble in Kuala Lumpur for their final pitches to a panel of VIP judges who wills elect winners and bestow prizes. 

In addition to the forum and innovation competition, the December 1 event will include networking opportunities and lunch. The event is invitation only and purposefully sized at about 150 attendees of established leaders and emerging innovators.

As AI reshapes industries, the question isn’t whether to adopt—it’s how to do it responsibly. This panel brings together global researchers and industry builders to explore how AI can accelerate business growth while staying ethical, secure, and ready for the talent of tomorrow.

CIC Asia brings together student teams from  across Asia and Georgia Tech to tackle global challenges through innovative and viable  product and service ideas that respond to one or more UN Sustainable Development  Goals. This year, we are focusing on teams from China, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, with participating universities in each of these countries. Student teams from across the participating countries will assemble in Kuala Lumpur for their final pitches to a panel of VIP judges who will select winners and bestow prizes. 

As Malaysia ramps up its digital economy and data sharing across borders, trust and security aren’t just IT issues anymore — they’re board-level priorities tied to staying competitive, meeting regulations, and keeping investors confident.

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is exploding — powered by AI, fintech, and the cloud. But data centers, the engines of this growth, are also driving up energy demand. This panel explores how business and policy leaders can scale data capacity the smart way — keeping it sustainable, efficient, and profitable.