The 2nd CMDS Advanced AI Seminar, FY2025

: 2026 The International Workshop on Data Science, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, and Management Science
(The 2nd CMDS Advanced AI Seminar, FY2025)
DIORAMA 2026
Dates: 21 March 2026 (15:00–17:30)
22 March 2026 (10:00–12:00)
Format: Hybrid (On-site at Kobe University & Online via Zoom)
Venue: 21 March
Takigawa Memorial Academic Exchange Hall (Main Conference Room)
https://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/ja/about/outline/facilities/takigawa/
22 March
Graduate School of Engineering, LR Building, Room LR202
https://www.kobe-u.ac.jp/ja/campus-life/general/access/rokko/rokkodai2/
Registration: https://forms.gle/785k6cWHJKGGCZDi8
• Participants attending the reception are kindly requested to register by 14 March.
• On-site participation (without reception) is also accepted on the day of the event.
Sponsored by: Center for Mathematical and Data Sciences (CMDS), Kobe University
JSPS Grant Numbers: 23K26334, 24K07946
Workshop Overview: In the face of growing uncertainty, complexity, and market risks in socio-economic systems, effective decision-making has become more critical than ever. Firms, policymakers, and public institutions are increasingly required to design strategies that balance efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. To address these challenges effectively, they can draw on advanced theories and methodologies from data science, industrial engineering, operations research, and management science. This workshop explores the application of these analytical and quantitative approaches to pressing actual problems across key domains, including energy systems, environmental management, healthcare operations, and supply chain networks. By integrating modeling, optimization, data-driven analysis, and decision-support methodologies, we aim to deepen the understanding of how complex systems can be designed, managed, and regulated more effectively. Through rigorous analysis of contemporary issues and methodological innovations, the workshop highlights how research insights can contribute to sustainable development, risk mitigation, and resilient management practices. It also fosters interdisciplinary dialogue between academia and practice, encouraging solutions that are both theoretically grounded and practically implementable.
Program
21 March 2026: 15:00–16:00 Invited Lecture
Title:
Power Play: The Impact of Harnessing Data Centers Spatial Workload Flexibility on Electricity Market
Speaker:
Prof. Yihsu Chen
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Jack Baskin School of Engineering University of California, Santa Cruz; Abstract:
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in an era of computational demand, with large language models (LLMs) at the forefront since 2022. This unprecedented growth in loads, induced by the computational demand of data centers, poses daunting challenges to the electric power system. One common belief is that the flexibility provided by data center operations might attenuate these impacts by spatially migrating workloads to modular data centers (MDCs), which are typically located at the network edge. In this talk, I will present our ongoing work that considers the optimization problems faced by the hyperscaler and MDCs in addition to consumers, producers, and the electric grid operator, where the hyerscaler enters an agreement to lease MDCs while ensuring that the required service level objectives (SLOs) are met. At the same time, the hyperscaler minimizes operating costs while accounting for associated emissions. The overall market model is formulated as a complementarity problem where the proof is provided showing the existence and uniqueness of the solutions. When applying to a case study, we show that even with a provision that requires MDCs to disclose the CO2 emissions associated with their energy supply sources, renting less polluting MDCs is unlikely to yield meaningful emission reductions due to so-called contract-reshuffling. The situation can be mitigated when conventional loads are supplied by forward contracts through power purchase agreements. We also demonstrate that while direct load reduction via workload migration at the hyperscaler's host bus can effectively lower local power prices, this may inadvertently inflate prices at other locations, ultimately increasing total consumer load payments across the network. The increase in average load payments is positively correlated with the total grid load. Furthermore, it can also exacerbate price volatility, necessitating additional ancillary service procurement to ensure stable grid operations.
16:10–17:30 Session 1 (4 presentations)
Details will be available soon.
22 March 2026: 10:00–12:00 Sessions 2–4 (7 presentations)
Details will be available soon.