Many of you enjoyed watching the 2014 FIFA World Cup. At the core of this event’s broadcasting success were digital communications and cloud computing technologies that helped to deliver this event live to every household. Big data and artificial intelligence technologies predicted the final results of the cup with stunning accuracy. Computer science is changing our lives in myriad ways with unprecedented breadth and depth. With computing as an integral and indispensable part of life, a new era of human existence has dawned – I like to call this the “computing life” era.
Each step forward in technology’s evolution is characterized by a number of progenitors – Watt, Faraday, Edison, Turing, Einstein – whose brilliant ideas and technologies ushered in subsequent advancements and changes that affect every aspect of our daily lives. Computing life, in turn, owes its existence to modern day innovators who have stood on the shoulders of these giants and devoted their lives to the sciences.
With “Computing Life” as its theme, the 16th Computing in the 21st Century Conference will be held in Beijing on October 29, 2014 at Peking University (PKU). Jointly hosted by Microsoft Research Asia and PKU, this conference will be attended by computing pioneers from around the world. They are true trailblazers of the computer science field. Not only will they bring their visionary ideas to this conference, but they will also enlighten us on the history of computing, share one-of-a-kind stories, provide insights from their research, and offer a glimpse into the future of computing.
As Chairman of this year’s conference, I sincerely invite you to bring your questions and offer your views on the modern application of computer science. Here you will be able to learn first-hand from industry leaders – while satisfying your curiosity for knowledge, igniting sparks for creativity, and learning how you too can contribute to computing life in the 21st century.
Eric Chang
Conference Chairman
Senior Director of Microsoft Research Asia
Date: October 29, 2014
Venue: Khoo Teck Puat Gymnasium of Peking University, Beijing
