AI innovation conference gathers 500 researchers at New Mexico

Sarah Mills | GlobalBeat

Tech Days returned to the University of New Mexico campus, drawing 500 researchers and industry professionals focused on artificial intelligence development.

The three-day conference featured 42 presentations on machine learning applications in healthcare, cybersecurity and space technology, according to UNM’s Newsroom.

New Mexico hosts fewer than 12 major tech conferences annually, making Tech Days a key regional event for researchers seeking collaboration opportunities.

Engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory demonstrated AI systems designed to predict wildfire spread patterns across desert terrain. Sandia National Laboratories scientists presented quantum computing algorithms that could accelerate medical imaging analysis.

“Federal labs bring unique datasets we cannot access elsewhere,” said Maria Santos, a computer science professor at UNM. She noted that 35 percent of conference attendees came from government research facilities.

Private sector participation increased 40 percent compared with 2023, organizers reported. Technology firms including Intel, Netflix and Descartes Labs sent technical teams to recruit talent.

Intel unveiled new chip architectures optimized for neural network processing during a keynote presentation. The company announced plans to hire 50 AI specialists at its Rio Rancho facility by 2025.

Healthcare researchers detailed experiments using machine learning to diagnose diabetic retinopathy from smartphone photographs. Early trials showed 94 percent accuracy rates across 5,000 patient images.

“We can screen rural populations without requiring ophthalmologists on site,” said Dr. Robert Chen from UNM’s School of Medicine. His team received $2 million in federal grants to expand the project.

Cybersecurity experts warned that AI-generated phishing emails increased 400 percent since 2022, according to data from the New Mexico Attorney General’s office. Criminals now customize messages using scraped social media data.

Military applications dominated several sessions. Air Force researchers described autonomous drone swarms that can coordinate search missions without human intervention. The system completed desert testing near White Sands Missile Range.

Student participation doubled from the previous year, with 150 undergraduates presenting poster sessions. Computer science enrollment at UNM increased 25 percent since 2020, department figures showed.

Background

New Mexico established itself as a technology research hub during World War II through the Manhattan Project. Federal investment created Los Alamos and Sandia laboratories, which employ 25,000 scientists and engineers today.

The state government launched a $20 million initiative in 2021 to expand tech education programs. lawmakers allocated funds for university partnerships with national laboratories to retain graduates locally.

What’s Next

Organizers announced Tech Days 2025 will expand to four days, adding sessions on AI ethics and regulation. The conference scheduled keynote speakers from Google DeepMind and the National Science Foundation for next year’s event.

Federal research agencies used the conference to solicit proposals for $50 million in upcoming AI grants. Application deadlines fall between January and March 2025.