The 2025 International Workshop on Advanced Interconnects (WAI) concluded on November 7 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, drawing more than 200 researchers and industry experts from around the world.

The conference was hosted by the College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Ningbo DETU Technologies, and the College of Integrated Circuits at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Prof. Jun Fan, Qiushi Guest Professor at Zhejiang University and IEEE Fellow, and Prof. Er-Ping Li, Qiushi Chair Professor and Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering, served as general chairs. The technical program was chaired by Dr. Xiaoning Ye, chief scientist at Intel; Dr. Bo Pu of Ningbo DETU Technologies; and Dr. Ling Zhang, assistant professor at Zhejiang University.

The program featured five keynote addresses, eight invited industry talks, and four roundtable sessions, alongside a dedicated young professionals forum and the first IBIS Summit China held in collaboration with WAI.

Keynotes addressed the shifting constraints of AI-era system design. Xiaoning Ye described the transition of data centers from CPU-centric to AI-centric architectures, arguing that interconnect technology has become the first-order constraint on performance at scale. Qin Liu discussed how AI is reshaping EDA tools such as Sigrity, Clarity, and Optimality, moving from conventional optimization toward generative AI-driven workflows. En-Xiao Liu examined pathways for turning interconnects from passive links into active system enablers as semiconductor scaling approaches physical limits. Qiwei Zhan, assistant professor at Zhejiang University’s ISEE, presented multiphysics EDA software that moves beyond conventional FEM simulation to support 3D chip integration in the post-Moore era.

Invited talks and technical sessions covered 112G/224G SerDes, chiplets, advanced packaging, and automotive EMC, with roundtables focused on AI-era EDA, the manufacturing engine for high-speed interconnects, and interference mitigation for mobile terminals.