Keynote 1
Augmented Reality Applications and Power Electronics Challenges

Jihong Ren, META

Augmented reality (AR) devices represent the next major leap in social technologies, poised to become the natural successor to the mobile internet. These devices promise to seamlessly blend the digital and physical worlds, enabling new forms of communication, collaboration, and interaction that are more immersive, context-aware, and intuitive than ever before.

However, realizing this vision comes with significant technical challenges. Unlike smartphones, the glasses form factor must be lightweight, comfortable, and unobtrusive, all while supporting advanced features such as high-resolution displays, always-on sensors, and real-time connectivity. Achieving this requires breakthroughs in many technical fields, from optics and display, computer vision, memory technology, low-power silicon, system integration, and more.

In this talk, we will delve into the specific power and integration-related hurdles facing the development of next-generation AR devices. Topics will include strategies for optimizing power consumption, challenges in AR interconnects, trade-offs between device form factor and battery life, and advances in power delivery systems needed to enable all-day wearable experiences. By addressing these challenges, we aim to pave the way for a future where augmented reality is as ubiquitous and essential as the mobile internet is today.

Dr. Jihong Ren is the Director of Analog Mixed Signal Solutions at Meta Reality Labs, where she leads the analog mixed-signal systems organization. In this role, Dr. Ren oversees the development and delivery of a wide range of technologies, including custom power management ICs, system-on-chip (SoC) analog IP, high-speed interfaces, as well as ensuring signal integrity and power integrity for advanced SoC platforms.

Dr. Ren holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, awarded in 2006. Prior to joining Meta, she was with Intel, where she contributed to the development of high-speed transceivers for FPGA applications. Dr. Ren has more than thirty technical publications, numerous book chapters, and multiple patents to her name.