Fred Kofman
Conscious Business Pioneer | Former VP, Google & LinkedIn | Founder, Conscious Business Center International | Top 5 Global Business Coach | Author, Conscious Business & The Meaning Revolution
Akira Yoshino
2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry | Inventor of the Lithium-Ion Battery | Honorary Fellow, Asahi Kasei | President, LIBTEC
Akira Yoshino invented the lithium-ion battery in 1985, the technology that now powers every smartphone, laptop, and electric vehicle on earth. A 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and President of LIBTEC, he remains at the frontier of next-generation energy storage. His keynotes connect that origin story to the decarbonization challenges defining our era.
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Akira Yoshino biography
Science speaker Akira Yoshino is one of the most consequential inventors of the modern era, the Japanese chemist whose 1985 breakthrough gave the world its first commercially viable lithium-ion battery, the technology that now underpins virtually every rechargeable device on the planet, from smartphones to electric vehicles and grid-scale storage. Born in Suita, Japan, he studied petrochemistry at Kyoto University before joining Asahi Kasei Corporation in 1972, where he spent his entire industrial career. He earned his doctorate from Osaka University in 2005, has been a professor at Meijo University since 2017, holds the title of Honorary Fellow at Asahi Kasei, and serves as President of the Lithium Ion Battery Technology and Evaluation Center (LIBTEC).
Yoshino’s defining invention came from scientific intuition and persistence. In 1982, while searching for the right anode material, he encountered a paper by American chemist John Goodenough describing lithium cobalt oxide as a promising cathode. Pairing that cathode with a carbon-based anode, Yoshino built a prototype that was both stable and rechargeable, a configuration he patented in 1985. Sony commercialized the technology in 1991, and within a decade the lithium-ion battery had become the defining energy storage technology of the consumer electronics age. Yoshino contributed further critical innovations along the way, from the aluminum foil current collector that enabled high cell voltage at low cost to the functional separator that halted thermal runaway.
The 2019 Nobel Prize and the Road to Net Zero
In 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Yoshino the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with John B. Goodenough and M. Stanley Whittingham, for the development of lithium-ion batteries. The prize recognized not just a technical achievement but a technology that had quietly rewired modern civilization. Yoshino has long argued that its greatest contribution lies ahead, in integrating renewable energy at scale and accelerating electric mobility. He also serves as director of the Global Zero Emission Research Center at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), where that conviction guides his work on next-generation and solid-state batteries.
His accolades span decades, including the Global Energy Prize, the European Inventor Award, the Charles Stark Draper Prize, and the Japan Prize. He continues to lecture internationally and remains one of the most authoritative voices on energy storage, electrification, and sustainability in the world.
As a speaker, Akira Yoshino brings the depth of a Nobel laureate and the clarity of an engineer who built his discovery with his own hands. His keynotes connect the origin story of the lithium-ion battery to the defining challenges of the energy transition: decarbonization, EV adoption, grid resilience, and the rise of solid-state batteries. For organizations in energy, mobility, sustainability, or deep technology, booking Yoshino means access to the scientist who helped power the world we live in.
Akira Yoshino Speaking Videos
Akira Yoshino - Lithium-ion battery and its evolution
Akira Yoshino, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019
Akira Yoshino Keynote Topics
Yoshino traces the full arc of the lithium-ion battery, from his 1982 insight in a Kyoto laboratory to a technology that now underpins the global economy. This is not a history lecture. It is a masterclass in what genuine invention requires, how scientific curiosity navigates dead ends and unexpected breakthroughs, and why the most transformative technologies are often built incrementally rather than in a single flash of genius. For innovation teams, technology leaders, and anyone building at the frontier, it is both an origin story and a provocation.
As the world accelerates its shift away from fossil fuels, energy storage has become the central constraint and the central opportunity. Yoshino makes the case that lithium-ion batteries and their successors are not peripheral to the energy transition but foundational to it, enabling renewable integration, electrifying transportation, and reshaping the economics of energy at every scale. Drawing on his current work at LIBTEC on solid-state batteries, he offers a clear-eyed roadmap for where the technology is headed and what it means for industry, policy, and investment.
Based on his Distinguished Lecture series, Yoshino explores how advanced battery technology will shape society over the coming decades, from AI-enabled electric vehicles and shared autonomous mobility to decentralized energy systems and circular battery economies. He argues that the most important advances lie not in incremental improvements to existing cells but in rethinking the entire battery ecosystem: materials, recycling, manufacturing, and the integration of AI into battery management and design. A sweeping, evidence-based vision delivered by the scientist who started it all.
The lithium-ion battery was not the product of a grand strategy. It emerged from curiosity, persistence, and the willingness to follow an unexpected lead. In this more personal keynote, Yoshino reflects on the conditions that made his invention possible: a culture of patient research, the freedom to pursue problems without guaranteed outcomes, and the importance of what he calls a good sense of smell, the instinct to detect where the world is heading before it arrives. Relevant for any organization serious about building a genuine innovation culture rather than performing one.
FAQs on Booking Akira Yoshino
Why Akira Yoshino?
Booking Akira Yoshino means bringing the inventor of the technology that powers modern civilization to your stage. As the creator of the world's first commercially viable lithium-ion battery and a 2019 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Yoshino offers an authority no other speaker on energy, sustainability, or deep technology can match, that of the scientist who actually did it. His keynotes connect decades of hands-on research to the strategic questions that matter most to executives today: the future of electric vehicles, the race to solid-state batteries, the role of energy storage in decarbonization, and what it takes to turn a scientific breakthrough into global impact. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you structure the ideal format for your audience, whether a keynote, fireside chat, or scientific panel.
What did Akira Yoshino invent and why does it matter?
In 1985, Akira Yoshino fabricated the world's first commercially viable lithium-ion battery at Asahi Kasei Corporation in Japan. By using a carbon-based anode paired with a lithium cobalt oxide cathode, improving on earlier designs that relied on unstable lithium metal, he created a battery that was lightweight, rechargeable, and safe enough for mass production. Sony commercialized the technology in 1991. Today, lithium-ion batteries power virtually every portable electronic device, dominate the electric vehicle market, and are increasingly used for grid-scale renewable energy storage. The Nobel Committee described the technology as having created the conditions for a wireless, fossil-fuel-free society.
What is Yoshino working on now, and what comes after lithium-ion?
Yoshino remains actively involved in next-generation battery research as President of LIBTEC, the Lithium Ion Battery Technology and Evaluation Center in Japan, and as director of the Global Zero Emission Research Center at AIST. His current focus is all-solid-state batteries, a technology that replaces the liquid electrolyte in conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material, dramatically improving safety, energy density, and longevity. He has identified durability as the key challenge for EV applications, where batteries must sustain thousands of charge cycles over the lifetime of a vehicle. He also speaks and writes about the convergence of AI, autonomous vehicles, and advanced battery systems as the foundation of a new mobility economy.
What topics does science speaker Akira Yoshino cover?
Akira Yoshino speaks on the history and future of lithium-ion battery technology, the role of energy storage in the green transition, next-generation solid-state batteries, electric vehicles and autonomous mobility, and the innovation mindset that turns curiosity into world-changing discovery. His talks are equally relevant for energy industry conferences, sustainability summits, technology forums, and academic or corporate innovation events. At Aurum Speakers Bureau, we work with Yoshino's team to tailor each engagement to your audience's needs and strategic focus.
How to book Akira Yoshino as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Akira Yoshino as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Akira Yoshino's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Akira Yoshino or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Akira Yoshino speaking fee?
Akira Yoshino speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Akira Yoshino to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Akira Yoshino.
How can I contact Akira Yoshino?
We only work with Akira Yoshino on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Akira Yoshino and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Akira Yoshino speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Akira Yoshino for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Akira Yoshino for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Akira Yoshino is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Akira Yoshino for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
