AI Business Builder & Technology Strategy Expert; Chairman of Axelera AI; UC Berkeley Haas Executive Educator

San Francisco, CA, USA
Live Event: $10,000 - $20,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Jonathan Ballon Biography

Jonathan Ballon is a serial entrepreneur and board director who has spent more than three decades building the businesses behind the AI era. He is chairman of Axelera AI, a semiconductor company designing energy-efficient chips that run AI everywhere from the factory floor to the data center.

Ballon launched and scaled Intel's AI inference business, building it into a multibillion-dollar global operation, and was the force behind a software platform adopted by millions of developers to run AI outside the data center. Earlier, he helped build GE's software business and led corporate strategy at Cisco.

A serial entrepreneur, he has been an operator or board member at nine startups. He built and sold an early breakout generative AI company and scaled a data center liquid-cooling business. He is a sought-after authority on AI, data center infrastructure and energy-efficient data center technology.

Ballon has keynoted major technology stages including Microsoft Ignite, AWS re:Invent, Mobile World Congress, VentureBeat Transform and the O'Reilly Artificial Intelligence Conference. He has served on the World Economic Forum's Technology Advisory Board and is guest faculty at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has trained more than 2,500 executives across 73 countries on technology strategy. Audiences know him for explaining, without jargon or hype, where AI is genuinely creating value for business.

Ballon translates the fast-moving world of AI into decisions leaders can act on, drawing on a career spent turning emerging technology into revenue at some of the largest companies in the world and the startups disrupting the status quo.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 07/14/2026.

Jonathan Ballon Speaking Topics

  • AI: Existential Threat or Your Biggest Opportunity?

    Every leadership team is asking the same question about artificial intelligence: is it coming for our business, or is it the best growth opportunity we will ever get? Drawing on decades spent building AI businesses inside Intel and across today's startups, Jonathan Ballon gives leaders a clear framework for answering that question about their own company. He shows where AI genuinely creates value and where the real risks lie. Attendees leave able to spot where AI threatens their model and where it opens new ground, and to decide with confidence where to move first. Candid and grounded in what actually works, this keynote turns anxiety about AI into a concrete plan of action.

  • The Real AI Race: Why Deployment, Not Training, Will Decide the Winners

    The AI story so far has been about who can build the biggest model. Jonathan Ballon argues the next decade belongs to whoever runs AI best, as intelligence moves out of the data center and into products, factories, vehicles, and the physical economy. As general-purpose AI becomes a commodity that keeps getting cheaper, durable advantage shifts to the proprietary data and specialized models a competitor cannot copy. This session explains why the center of gravity in AI is moving from training to inference, and how leaders can build a lasting edge on the data they already own. Audiences leave with a sharper view of where AI value will actually accumulate, and why the eventual winners may not be the names dominating the headlines today.

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Jonathan Ballon Videos

Jonathan Ballon - IoT Solutions World Congress

Jonathan Ballon - IoT Solutions World Congress

From Hype to Reality

  • How do I book Jonathan Ballon to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Jonathan Ballon for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Jonathan Ballon, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Jonathan Ballon or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Jonathan Ballon

    Speaking fees for Jonathan Ballon, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Jonathan Ballon are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Jonathan Ballon, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Jonathan Ballon speak about?

    Jonathan Ballon is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Artificial Intelligence, Business Leadership, Data, Disruptive Thinking, Futurism, Strategic Leadership, Thought Leadership
  • Where does Jonathan Ballon travel from?

    Jonathan Ballon generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Jonathan Ballon for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Jonathan Ballon for your next private or corporate function.
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Jonathan Ballon is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as AI: Existential Threat or Your Biggest Opportunity?, The Real AI Race: Why Deployment, Not Training, Will Decide the Winners, The Data Center, Energy, and Compute Crunch and The Board's AI Mandate: Governance, Capital, and Betting on Technology. The estimated speaking fee range to book Jonathan Ballon for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Jonathan Ballon generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Nish Rana, Dr. Mark van Rijmenam, R "Ray" Wang, Thomas Anglero and Douwe Kiela. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jonathan Ballon for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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