SAN FRANCISCO - A group of US and Chinese scholars and experts met Saturday in Silicon Valley to discuss opportunities and challenges in smart energy application and building smart villages in the United States and China.

Representatives from Microsoft Corporation, the Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute (GEIRI) North America, and other professionals in energy industry shared their experience and expertise on developing smart energy at a seminar launched by the US-China Green Energy Council in San Jose, California.

Chen Xi, Chief Information Officer of GEIRI North America, affiliated to the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), said the SGCC, the largest electricity utility company in China, boasts advanced electricity technology and abundant experience in construction of power networks in the country.

The United States has accumulated a lot of experience on power market, high efficiency and the ability of profit-making of utility companies, which can be learned by China in developing a better and more efficient power network in the future, Chen said.

The seminar held two panels for in-depth discussions on smart energy cooperation between the United States and China, present and future challenges, artificial intelligent (AI) technology in power development, business development and building smart villages.

Panel speakers included Scott Mauvais, director of Microsoft Cities, who talked on AI for sustainability, Zhiwei Wang, president of GEIRI North America, and Professor Tom Kosnik, a partner of FoundersX Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm dedicated to investment in AI and big data.