Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin will deliver an online keynote address titled "Ethereum as Infrastructure, CROPS as the Goal" at ETHShanghai 2026 on September 22. The speech will expand on his vision of blockchain serving as a privacy infrastructure layer for the AI agent era, examining how decentralized systems can counterbalance increasing centralization in artificial intelligence development. The conference, themed "Ethereum's Renaissance," will cover key topics including Ethereum development, AI and Web3 integration, decentralization, prediction markets, stablecoins, and tokenized U.S. stocks. ETHShanghai 2026 is co-hosted by ETHPanda, PANews, and The Excited Few, with support from Wanxiang Blockchain Labs, GCC, and ETH HK Hub. Registration for the event is currently open.