2026 Boston Innovation Summit: February 5th
10 December 2025 - A Publication by New North Ventures
On February 5th New North Ventures is hosting the annual Boston Innovation Summit—an inside look at where dual-use innovation is heading and why public–private collaboration matters now more than ever. The summit brings together leaders from government, academia, R&D, industry and venture to tackle the toughest national security tech challenges. This year features a startup pitch competition and high-impact panels covering the following topics:
Economic Warfare & Geofinance
AI on the High Seas: How Automation is Shaping Maritime Tech
From Seed to Scale: How Investors Fuel Dual-Use Startups
Following the Money in Cyberspace: Defense Through Financial Intelligence
If you want a front row seat to what’s emerging, what’s shifting and what’s next in defense tech and investing you will want to be here.
Powering the AI Boom: The Hidden Bottleneck Investors Can’t Ignore
The AI surge isn’t just a software revolution — it’s an energy crisis. Microsoft, OpenAI, Amazon, Google, and Meta are pouring billions into new data centers, but many facilities are sitting idle because there isn’t enough electricity to run them. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Chief Executive, sums it up: the problem isn’t a lack of compute — it’s a lack of power.
Big tech is in a construction frenzy: over $400bn in capex is planned in the coming years, dominated by data centers. OpenAI’s infrastructure deals alone total $1.4tn, representing 28GW of planned capacity. But the grid can’t keep up. Interconnection delays now stretch beyond eight years, and equipment like transformers and turbines face multi-year backlogs.
Some hard numbers:
By 2026, five U.S. data centers will draw more than 1GW each at peak.
Microsoft’s Wisconsin site could surpass 3GW by 2028.
The U.S. added 51GW of new capacity in 2024; China added 429GW, over a third of the world’s total increase.
With the grid choking, companies are scrambling — installing onsite gas turbines, restarting nuclear plants, and hunting for alternative power sources. But upgrades are slow and costly: transformers take 3–4x longer to get than in 2020, and new gas turbines are ~4.5 years out.
What this means for investors and dual-use tech:
AI is now power-constrained, not compute-constrained.
Energy infrastructure has become a strategic national asset.
The nexus of reliable, flexible power + AI compute is an emerging investment frontier.
The AI boom is colliding head-on with America’s grid limits. Anyone tracking dual-use tech, AI infrastructure, or national competitiveness needs to understand this bottleneck — it’s the new battleground.
America’s Nuclear Battlefield: The Janus Program’s Strategic Power Play
The Janus Program — launched by U.S. Army in November 2025 — seeks to deploy compact nuclear microreactors on domestic military bases by 2028, with prototype power plants expected by 2030.
The plan names nine initial candidate bases, each with high energy demands. These microreactors would operate independently of the civilian grid, offering resilient, secure power for installations even under threats like grid failure, cyberattacks, or supply‑chain disruptions.
Under a fast, milestone‑based contracting model, private firms will build and operate the reactors under Army oversight — marking a shift toward commercially managed but militarily regulated nuclear infrastructure.
If successful, Janus may redefine how the U.S. powers its military footprint — reducing dependence on diesel/fossil support, boosting energy resilience, and accelerating broader adoption of advanced reactor technology.
NNV’s portfolio company Anno.AI partnered with Spear AI turning Duluth Minnesota & Lake Superior into a new national hub for autonomous systems testing. Drawn by the region’s extreme weather, varied terrain, and wide-open air and water space, the two companies are building a real-world proving ground for next-generation aircraft, vehicles, and maritime systems.
Spear AI is deploying advanced sensor buoys across the lake, while Anno.AI is laying the groundwork for a full “Lake Superior Test Range” with fiber-optic infrastructure, radars, and upgraded port capabilities. Backed by a $17.5M defense contract and $10M in private capital, the companies have already begun hiring locally and expect to rapidly expand.
The result: Duluth is positioning itself as a strategic node for national security innovation — and a rising economic engine — as autonomous tech moves from lab environments into the real world.
In this episode, host Jeremy sits down with Paul Lwin, the pioneer behind HavocAI, a maritime technology company that’s just 21 months old. Paul shares their incredible journey of raising $85 million, growing a team of 80, and generating $3 million in revenue through advanced autonomous maritime vessels. Learn about Havoc’AIs mission to create a ‘Hellscape’ in the Pacific with thousands of intelligent vessels, overcoming challenges in maritime environments, and utilizing cutting-edge AI and ML technologies. With real-world applications and insights into dual-use innovation, this episode sheds light on the future of maritime domain awareness and autonomous systems.
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