The connective K-theory spectrum conjecture for surface groups

Let $M^g$ be a Riemann surface of genus $g$, let $\pi_1 M$ be its fundamental group, and let $K^{\mathrm{def}}(\pi_1 M)$ denote the deformation $K$-theory spectrum of this group. Let $\mathbf{ku}$ be the connective $K$-theory spectrum, and write $\Sigma$ for suspension and $\vee$ for the wedge sum. Spectrum decomposition conjecture. For any Riemann surface $M^g$, the spectrum $K^{\mathrm{def}}(\pi_1 M)$ is weakly equivalent, as a $\mathbf{ku}$-algebra, to

$$\mathbf{ku}\vee\left(\bigvee_{2g}\Sigma\mathbf{ku}\right)\vee\Sigma^2\mathbf{ku}.$$

The conjecture proposes a spectrum-level refinement of the computation of the deformation $K$-theory of surface groups; the proposed spectrum has the same homotopy groups as $K^{\mathrm{def}}_*(\pi_1 M)$. The compatibility of the spectrum-level construction with the $\mathbf{ku}$-algebra structure remains to be established.