When Aman Narang ’04 speaks about Boston’s tech future, he doesn’t mince words: “The superpower has always been the university system.” On a quiet Cambridge morning, that belief pulses through MIT’s labs, classrooms, and startup incubators, where eight affiliates have just been named among The Boston Globe’s 2026 “Tech Power Players” — a testament to the Institute’s deepening role in shaping the next wave of technological leadership. President Sally Kornbluth, CSAIL director Daniela Rus, AI pioneer Regina Barzilay, energy innovator Yet-Ming Chiang, physicist Max Tegmark, entrepreneurship champion Ana Bakshi, venture leader Katie Rae, and Senior Lecturer Brian Halligan are all recognized, alongside a growing cohort of alumni who continue to drive innovation beyond campus.
This isn’t just about individual accolades. The Globe’s feature underscores how MIT’s ecosystem — from its 150+ entrepreneurship courses to its 85 support centers — is actively fueling Massachusetts’ position at the forefront of AI, clean energy, and life sciences. With President Kornbluth reinvigorating pathways from lab to market, MIT has launched free online AI classes accessible to all, aiming to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence extend beyond corporate boardrooms and into communities. The Institute is also forming the Committee on Accelerating Translation and Entrepreneurship (CATE) to break down barriers for student founders — a timely move, as applications to the Martin Trust Center’s accelerator program have doubled in just one year.
The numbers speak volumes: nearly one-fifth of MIT undergraduates — about 800 students — attended a recent startup career fair, reflecting a cultural shift where building a company between classes is no longer an exception, but an expectation. This “dorm-to-startup” pipeline is already yielding breakthroughs. Take Liquid AI, a startup inspired by the neural network of a simple worm. Its energy-efficient models, capable of detecting financial fraud and guiding drones, use a fraction of the power required by traditional large language models — a critical advantage as data centers strain under rising energy and cooling demands. The company recently signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz to integrate its technology into vehicles across North America.
Meanwhile, in Professor Yet-Ming Chiang’s lab, the future of energy is being rewritten. His team is engineering next-generation batteries that store more electricity for longer durations, unlocking the full potential of wind and solar power. These innovations, alongside MIT’s broader push in “AI+X” — applying artificial intelligence to fields like healthcare, defense, and manufacturing — are positioning Greater Boston as a global epicenter for applied technology.
As President Kornbluth puts it, “Massachusetts can absolutely lead in this next wave.” With its blend of visionary research, inclusive education, and entrepreneurial momentum, MIT isn’t just preparing for the future of tech — it’s building it.