The Data Mine Guest Speaker Series – Meltem Ballan, PhD

Founder & CEO | Systems Thinker | Deep Tech Entrepreneur

Dr. Meltem Ballan is a deep-tech founder and thought leader at the intersection of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and sustainable infrastructure. As CEO and Co-Founder of Concrete Engine Inc., she is building modular “AI factories” — GPU-dense, containerized micro-supercomputers — that bring sovereign AI and high-performance compute to the edge for industries ranging from defense and agriculture to pharma and climate tech.

With a career spanning General Motors, EY, and NATO, Meltem has seen firsthand how data bottlenecks and computational hurdles slow down innovation. She launched Concrete Engine to remove those barriers, combining cutting-edge federated learning orchestration with scalable hardware that can be deployed “one container at a time.”

Meltem is widely recognized for her systems thinking approach, bridging technical expertise with strategic partnerships. Her work has drawn interest from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), global energy and data-center operators, and leading research institutions. She is passionate about dual-use AI, ensuring that the same technology that powers defense resilience can also accelerate discoveries in healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability.

Outside of technology, Meltem is a marathon runner with nearly four decades of experience, drawing parallels between the endurance required in long-distance running and building transformative companies. She is also an animal rescuer, weaving compassion and community into her leadership philosophy.

Meltem’s mission is simple but bold: to demystify AI, decentralize compute, and empower organizations worldwide with the tools to innovate responsibly and at scale.

https://datamine.purdue.edu/event/outside-event-the-data-mine-guest-speaker-series-meltem-ballan-phd/