The Next Industrial Revolution Enabled by Quantum Mechanics/ Digital Fabrication

"The next Industrial Revolution will be enabled by quantum mechanics and digital fabrication at the atomic scale."

This is an IEEE CVT luncheon event that will be held at UTD on Jan. 20th (11:30 to 1 pm).

You do not need to be an IEEE member to attend. Come join us each month if interested in great networking and thought-provoking meeting topics.

Register at:
https://events.vtools.ieee.org/event/register/530856

Meeting details and cost to attend is below.

Reservation at IEEE site (vTools) is required by Friday (1-16-26) noon if you'd like lunch. Free to attend if not having lunch.

Come join us on Tuesday Jan. 20th and hear:

John Randall, CEO Zyvex:

present:

The Innovation of Precision:
The Next Industrial Revolution Enabled by Digital Fabrication at the Atomic Scale

Abstract:

... we are on the precipice of another industrial revolution and a 2nd digital revolution ...

Human ingenuity is arguably limitless. Human technological progress is limited by manufacturing precision. I will cite several historical examples where important technologies were not only conceived of but actually prototyped centuries before manufacturing precision allowed these inventions to impact economies and societies.

Richard Feynman in his famous “There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom” lecture in 1959 described what might be possible working at the molecular and atomic scale. Eric Drexler in 1986 conceived mechanosynthesis technology that could create a huge array of materials and products with orders of magnitude better capabilities than even technologies in 2026.

Randall never met Feynman but had the great fortune to meet and know Drexler. Randall suggested to Eric in the early 2000s that his mechanosynthesis was in fact a digital technology. He indicated that this was only an analogy that would appeal to electrical engineers and was not an important distinction.

Today, Randall will argue that we are on the precipice of another industrial revolution and a 2nd digital revolution, this time in fabrication rather than information. However, it will only succeed if we develop tools with atomic scale, or perhaps more accurately molecular bond length precision. Randall's conception of how this will happen will take advantage of quantum mechanics using a tool invented in the early 1980s.

Bio:
John N. Randall
CEO of Zyvex Labs

John N. Randall, CEO of Zyvex Labs, Executive VP of Teliatry, Adjunct Professor at UT Dallas, and Fellow of the AVS, IEEE, and Micro Nano Engineering Society, has over 40 years of experience in Micro- and Nano- Fabrication.

He has attracted over $48M in research contracts to Zyvex and resulting products have grossed over $850M. He joined Zyvex in March of 2001 after 15 years at Texas Instruments where he worked in high resolution processing for integrated circuits, MEMS, and quantum effect devices. He fabricated the world's first semiconductor quantum dot.

Prior to working at TI, John worked at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory on ion beam and x-ray lithography. He has 126 articles published in refereed journals, more than 85 conference proceedings and other publications and 36 issued US Patents with a total of 6613 citations.

Meeting Date: Jan. 20, 2026
Location: UTD Synergy Park North Building; 3000 Waterview, Richardson, TX
Directions: NE Corner Synergy Park Blvd and Steward Dr.
Lunch Cost: see below.

Most importantly, come to network with fellow technologists, business execs, entrepreneurs and IEEE CVT members.

You do not have to be an IEEE member to attend.

Registration: Please pre-register at:
https://events.vtools.ieee.org/event/register/530856

(If you're not an IEEE member, you are welcome to use the "Register as Guest" button at the bottom of the page - be sure to click and check the "I accept the IEEE Privacy Policy" box).

Please pre-register by Friday (1-16-26) noon if you plan on having lunch. The lunch order must go on at noon Friday prior to the meeting on Tuesday (1-20-26).

Lunch will start at 11:30 am and the program runs from 12 to 1 pm.
You do not need to be a member of IEEE and the meeting is free if you do not intend to eat.

Location:
UTD Synergy Park North Building; 3000 Waterview, Richardson, TX
Directions: NE Corner Synergy Park Blvd and Steward Dr. (map and more details below)

Prepay via the IEEE website by noon Friday (1-16-26 ):
https://events.vtools.ieee.org/event/register/530856

IEEE Members $15.00
IEEE Life Members $10.00
Non-IEEE Members (Guests) $20.00
UTD students: $2.00 (First 5 Students who have registered in vTools as recorded within vTools date/time stamp on the registration will be given their $2 back at the event, provided they attend. All students must show UT Dallas ID at the desk the day of the meetings.)

Feel free to sign up using the "Register as Guest" button at the bottom of the page. You do not need to be an IEEE member to attend and the meeting is free to attend if you are not eating.

Pay in person the day of the meeting:
IEEE Members $20.00
IEEE Life Members $15.00
Non-IEEE Members (Guests) $25.00
UTD ECE students with ID $2.00

Anyone who has not pre-registered for lunch will be asked to wait until all pre-registered folks have had a chance to go through the buffet line.
Anyone not pre-registered will be charged the ‘Guest’ rate.

There is No charge for "No Lunch, just attending the talk".

Parking passes will be available to those that register, and lunch for a fee.

Future meetings (subject to change but most likely):
Feb. 17, 2026
March 17, 2026
April 21, 2026
May 19, 2026
Summer break/no meetings: June, July, Aug.
Sept. 15, 2026
Oct. 20, 2026
Nov. 17, 2026
Dec. 15, 2026