11 October 2026 · Sydney, Australia
Dexter Zhang, Chair of the AusConnect Innovation Alliance (ACIA), delivered these remarks at the close of the AI EcoSystem Summit 2026 programme in The Great Hall at the University of Technology Sydney on 8 October 2026. They are published as delivered. For the day itself, read the summit recap.
Good evening, everyone.
A year ago, we noticed something.
The conversations about AI were happening in separate rooms. Researchers in one. Engineers in another. Investors, energy leaders, educators and policymakers each in their own.
But AI doesn’t live in separate rooms.
A model needs compute. Compute needs power. Power needs investment. Investment needs trust. And all of it needs people with the skills and imagination to make it work.
So we asked a simple question:
What if we put the whole ecosystem in one room, for one afternoon?
That is why we started the AI EcoSystem Summit.
And looking around this hall tonight, I think we can say:
We did it.
Today, we went from theory to reality with Professor Fang Chen.
We heard from NVIDIA about building the AI flywheel, and how startups, technology and ecosystems can turn AI capability into real innovation.
We explored creativity and culture with Professor Terry Flew, skills and education with Professor Kylie Readman, and the data centres that AI actually runs on with NEXTDC.
And through our panels, we moved from the power grid, to real business value, to investment and what comes next.
A single tree is not a forest. And a single technology is not an ecosystem. Today, you were the ecosystem. — Dexter Zhang, Chair, ACIA
And I think that matters, because AI is no longer just a technology conversation.
It is a conversation about compute, energy, infrastructure, investment, skills, research, creativity — and ultimately, people.
That is exactly why ACIA exists.
Our role is to connect people, expertise and opportunities across Australia and the Asia-Pacific, and help good ideas become real collaborations.
We are anchored in Australia, and connected to the Asia-Pacific innovation ecosystem.
Today, that mission came to life in one room.
Now, a few thank-yous, because a day like this is built by many hands.
To our co-host, the University of Technology Sydney, and Professor Andrew Parfitt, thank you for welcoming us to this beautiful Great Hall.
To our sponsors and partners — NEXTDC, BytePlus, MSI Australia, Agora, Matrix Pharmaceutical and Tech Data — thank you for making today possible.
A special thank-you to Agora for providing today’s live interpretation.
Thank you also to IRTC for bringing the robots, to Lumina and InferaStack on the expo floor, and to all of our supporting partners.
To every speaker and panellist: thank you for your time, your expertise and your candour.
To our MC — Josephine — thank you for keeping us on time.
Mostly.
And to our volunteers, who were here before you arrived and will still be here after you leave: please give them a big round of applause.
Finally, thank you to all of you — for asking the hard questions, sharing your ideas, and talking to people you didn’t know when you walked in this morning.
If you’re joining us tonight, the Awards Night and Gala Dinner begins at 7pm at Aerial UTS, Level 7, Building 10 — just a short walk from here.
And this conversation continues.
Today was not meant to be the end of a conversation.
It was meant to start one.
So when you leave here tonight, send that email. Make that introduction.
Follow up with the person you met over coffee.
Because the real value of an ecosystem is what happens after everyone leaves the room.
Thank you for being part of the AI EcoSystem Summit 2026.
Have a wonderful evening, and we’ll see you again soon.