| Event Name: |
AFCEA Bethesda 2026 EIE Summit
Website
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| Event Date: |
11/18/2026 |
| Event Organizer: |
Bethesda Chapter |
| Description: |
The Intelligent Grid: Mission Autonomy and
Resilient Systems with Quantum-Safe, Critical
Infrastructure
As quantum computing advances, many critical
infrastructure systems worldwide face increased
risks. These include internet infrastructure,
electrical grids, water management, energy
production and distribution, as well as financial,
healthcare, and transportation systems. What is
needed is a system that can automatically detect
and fix problems, make independent decisions, and
employ next-generation encryption to stay fully
secure from future cyberattacks. This year's
Energy, Infrastructure, and Environment (EIE)
Summit will address these urgent issues by
exploring how to deploy self-healing architectures
and strengthen them with quantum-safe cryptography
to ensure long-term, unbreakable infrastructure
resilience. As environmental instability and cyber
threats grow, critical infrastructure requires
more than just predictive software: it needs
autonomous adaptability. Agentic AI networks
capable of real-time decision-making and
decentralized operation are essential. By
leveraging multi-agent AI systems, automated load
balancing, and secure edge-computing operational
technology (OT), federal and defense leaders are
creating self-healing microgrids that can quickly
reroute power during crises. To that end, the
Department of Energy (DOE), Department of War
(DoW), and commercial innovators are expanding
these agentic systems to safeguard domestic energy
grids and strengthen forward-operating bases.
Public sector thought leaders will share how
federal agencies respond to and deliver innovative
solutions that modernize, secure, scale, and solve
energy demands and threats. Topics to be explored
will cover:
Moving beyond predictive software to autonomous AI
agents that dynamically reroute power during
cyberattacks or extreme weather events.
Practical timelines and deployment strategies for
integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) into
legacy federal SCADA networks.
Designing intelligent, self-regulating
infrastructure capable of managing the enormous
energy demands of federal AI data centers.
Describe impactful AI use cases that agencies are
implementing, including how they prepare their
workforce for responsible AI adoption with
governance and reporting tools, data analysis
platforms, secure enterprise integrations, and
context-aware digital assistants to automate and
personalize workflows. |
| Event Category: |
Conference |
| Location: |
Westin D.C. Downtown
Washington, DC |
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