Kick off 2026 with ACM Austin + IEEE at our first tech meetup of the year, featuring deep-dive talks in AI, cloud-native systems, security, identity, and modern infrastructure engineering. This joint community event brings together engineers, researchers, students, and technology leaders from across Austin for an evening of learning, discussion, and networking.​ ​Join us on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM CST at The Center for Government and Civic Service, 1218 West Ave, Building 3000, Austin, TX 78701. The meetup will feature community-driven tech talks exploring cloud-native systems and scalable infrastructure, AI and GenAI platforms, DevOps and platform engineering, and security and identity trends shaping modern software and infrastructure engineering. Talks will emphasize real-world implementations, practical insights, and forward-looking ideas that are redefining today’s technology landscape.​ ​Featured Speakers & Talks​ - ​LLM-Driven Multimodal Biometric Authentication: 74% Performance Gain with Built-In Privacy Ravi Ray – Principal Member of Technical Staff, Salesforce - ​Building Autonomous Edge AI Systems: From Architecture to Production at Scale Samaresh Kumar Singh – Principal Engineer, HP Joyjit Roy – Lead Principal Technical Program Manager, KForce - ​Identity in the Age of AI: Phishing-Resistant Credentials Srinivasa Ravi Teja - ​Engineering Cryptography for the Post-Quantum Era Gurdeep Gill – Software Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco Systems ​Whether you’re an industry professional, researcher, student, founder, or technology enthusiast, this event is a great opportunity to learn, share knowledge, and connect with peers across the ACM and IEEE communities. You’ll meet practitioners working on real systems at scale and have space for open discussion and community networking. Call for Speakers We’re accepting tech talk proposals for upcoming ACM Austin + IEEE meetups. If you’re interested in sharing your insights or presenting your work, submit your talk here:​ 👉 (https://sessionize.com/austin-acm-meetup/luma%E2%80%8B) ​RSVP on Meetup and Luma: - ​Meetup: (https://www.meetup.com/acm-austin/events/312455949/luma%E2%80%8B) - ​Luma: (https://luma.com/vo8cnuwjluma%E2%80%8B) ​RSVP on both Meetup and Luma to help with planning and to stay updated on any announcements or schedule changes. Co-sponsored by: Akshay Agenda: ​Featured Speakers & Talks​ - ​LLM-Driven Multimodal Biometric Authentication: 74% Performance Gain with Built-In Privacy Ravi Ray – Principal Member of Technical Staff, Salesforce - ​Building Autonomous Edge AI Systems: From Architecture to Production at Scale Samaresh Kumar Singh – Principal Engineer, HP Joyjit Roy – Lead Principal Technical Program Manager, KForce - ​Identity in the Age of AI: Phishing-Resistant Credentials Srinivasa Ravi Teja - ​Engineering Cryptography for the Post-Quantum Era Gurdeep Gill – Software Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco Systems Austin, Texas, United States, 78701

As cloud environments grow more complex, security teams are increasingly turning to AI-driven automation. Fully autonomous systems, however, often introduce new risks, including reduced oversight and fragile decision-making in dynamic production environments. This session explores a practical approach to using AI agents in cloud security. Instead of enforcing changes automatically, agents observe cloud activity, analyze risk in context, and provide clear, actionable recommendations while humans retain control over final decisions. Through real-world examples such as IAM changes and infrastructure drift, the talk demonstrates where agentic systems add value and where they should be limited. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to apply AI agents safely and responsibly in cloud security. [] Speaker(s): Venkata Nedunoori Agenda: 5:55 to 6:05 PM - Open for participants to enter and network. 6:05 to 6:10 PM - IEEE LM and CTCN Business meeting and speaker introduction. 6:10 to 7:25PM - Formal Program and Q&A. Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/532931

IEEE (PI)² Austin, January 27, 2026, Tech Meeting In-Person 6 PM Central / 7 PM Eastern at NEW LOCATION/ New Process!: Casa Chapala 9041 Research Boulevard Unit 100, Austin TX 78758 - Attendees select and purhase their own meals and drinks (a meal order is required). IEEE Student Members' meals are free! Two (shorter) talks! Abstracts: Reliability Focused Load Outage Assessment tool – SAIDI and SAIFI Improvements LCRA has been improving power grid reliability through equipment replacement projects using equipment/asset-based health assessment tools. While the equipment/asset-based reliability assessments are respected and widely accepted in the industry, the assessment focuses have been limited to high dollar assets such as transformers and circuit breakers rather than high impact areas. LCRA implemented a load outage assessment dashboard that analyzes LCRA outage data in a new and different way. It provides a holistic assessment for all transmission lines and substations from the perspectives of SAIFI and SAIDI reliability metrics. The new dashboard allows LCRA to identify reoccurring deficiencies that lead to high reliability impacts and high O&M costs. LCRA made a several improvement projects that were identified as great opportunities using the new dashboard. This effort led LCRA achieving the best performing year in 20 years for the LCRA SAIFI and SAIDI reliability performance metrics. Switching It Up: A New Innovative 3-Way GOAB Switching Structure Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) faced significant challenges with the traditional 3-WAY GOAB (Gang Operated Air-Break) transmission line switches, which led to operational and safety issues due to their tendency to bind, seize, and break. In response to these challenges, LCRA has pioneered a new innovative 3-WAY GOAB Alternative design that addresses these issues by enhancing flexibility in operation, safety by design, and overall reliability. Launched in 2024, the first installation of this innovative two monopole switching structure design not only meets all operational and maintenance requirements but also comes at a significantly lowers cost, footprint, and construction timeline compared to another 3-WAY Box Structure Alternative. This advancement represents a significant step forward in LCRA's commitment to improving infrastructure and service reliability through design solutions. For PDH hours, please email the (PI)² Secretary, [email protected]. Speaker(s): Nick Choi, Room: Ask for room location at front desk, Bldg: Unit 100, Casa Chapala, 9041 Research Boulevard , Austin, Texas, United States, 78758