ROAD 2026: The 7th Roundtable on the Purpose of Autonomous Driving, Japan

About ROAD: The "Roundtable on the Purpose of Autonomous Driving (ROAD)" conference series has evolved into a unique platform for interdis-ciplinary dialogue and international collaboration in the field of autonomous driving and autonomous mobility. Established in 2016, ROAD has brought together researchers, industry leaders, and public sector stakeholders from six countries across three continents. Based on this background, the upcoming ROAD 2026 will focus on "safety” and "driving AI”—the final pieces of the autonomous driving puzzle—to advance discussions on establishing the foundational framework for ensuring safety quality and obtaining regular-tory approval for autonomous driving. We also intend to discuss the international commonalities and differences regarding the social value brought about by ADS vehicles in terms of automation, intelligent driving, and mobility. We have established a total of five compelling themes for the Round Workshops, consisting of two topics related to “The Last Piece” and three topics related to the social value of ADS, as shown below. 1) Round Workshop 1 - Horizons of E2E Driving AI → Can AI Understand the Driving Environment Like Humans? 2) Round Workshop 2 - Beyond the Unknown: Safety Cases for ADS → Can Safety Ever Be Proven? 3) Round Workshop 3 - Envisioning Smart City Mobility → Can Smart City Mobility Bridge the Mobility Divide? 4) Round Workshop 4 - Logistics Enhancement Through Autonomous Tracking → Will Logistics Become Human-Free? 5) Round Workshop 5 - The Evolution of CASE: SDV/AIDV → Will Automakers Become AI Companies? We hope you’ll all join us!

[Speaker] Masashi Sugita, President and CEO of LEX Style Co., Ltd. [Key Lecture Content] The power consumption of AI servers used in data centers has significantly increased, making traditional air cooling insufficient for operation. This lecture will organize the requirements for introducing a liquid cooling system into air-cooled data centers and explain the implementation method using free cooling with specific design details. When handling high-density AI servers, energy efficiency is required, and the widely used energy efficiency indicator, as well as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Resource and Energy Agency's PUE regulation of "1.3 or below," will be explained along with practical operational insights. [Lecture Items] 1. Heat dissipation methods for high-density, high-heat AI servers 2. Basics and importance of PUE/pPUE 3. PUE regulation of "1.3 or below" by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Resource and Energy Agency 4. AI server implementation and requirements for new data centers 5. Summary and future outlook 6. Q&A / Business card exchange

[Key Lecture Content] 1. Promotion of SAF Introduction Yasushi Yamashita, Director, Carbon Neutral Promotion Office, Aviation Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 1. Importance of SAF in the decarbonization of the aviation sector 2. Initiatives to promote the introduction of SAF 3. Q&A / Business card exchange 2. Japan Airlines' Challenge Towards Net Zero CO2 Emissions by 2050 Kazuki Hirotani, Group Leader, GX Planning Group, Sustainability Promotion Department, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. 1. Introduction of our five initiatives for CO2 emission reduction 2. Initiatives for reducing fuel consumption (introduction of fuel-efficient aircraft, operational improvements) 3. Initiatives for fuel transition (sustainable aviation fuel SAF) 4. Initiatives for reductions outside the value chain (carbon credits, new removal technologies) 5. Initiatives to deepen collaboration with society 6. Q&A / Business card exchange

[Instructor] Yuichiro Kabushiki, Partner Lawyer at TMI Comprehensive Law Office [Key Lecture Content] With the spread of AI, there is growing attention on the civil liability of developers, providers, and users of AI. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will publish "Guidelines on the Interpretation and Application of Civil Liability in AI Utilization" in April 2026, and the Ministry of Justice will also establish an expert meeting to examine civil liability related to unauthorized use of images and voices generated by AI in the same month. As the full enforcement of the AI Promotion Act and the revision of AI guidelines are underway, it is necessary to design and operate governance based on the potential responsibilities that may arise retrospectively. In this seminar, based on the guidelines from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and drawing on litigation practice experience as a judge and lawyer, we will organize the basic framework for assessing civil liability and explain fundamental methods for designing and operating governance based on risk analysis. Furthermore, we will examine the framework for civil liability and the design and operation of governance using hypothetical cases that are likely to pose practical issues.

In this seminar, we will welcome Mr. Satoru Hayami from Waseda University, who will explain the latest trends in AI utilization in manufacturing, as well as the evolution of technologies such as agent-based AI and physical AI, and the opportunities and key points for practical application in the manufacturing industry. Furthermore, Mr. Tsubasa Shibata, representative of Next Opt, will introduce processes aimed at practical implementation, incorporating actual case studies from manufacturing sites. We hope you will envision the "potential for AI utilization in your company" and take home hints that will lead to improvements in your operations starting tomorrow. We look forward to your participation.