Tony Grayson

About Tony Grayson

I help enterprises and governments deploy AI infrastructure that scales from edge to hyperscale—fast, secure, and built for constant silicon refresh.CURRENT MISSION As President & GM at Northstar Enterprise + Defense, I lead P&L and operations for modular data centers bridging commercial speed with defense-grade security.Growth: Signed 5 major contracts in 4 mo (Fortune 500/Federal); managing $700M+ qualified pipeline (Q4 2025).Speed: Pioneering a \"manufacturing buildings\" model enabling ~3-month deployments (vs 12–18 mo industry avg).Tech: Architecting silicon-agnostic \"AI Factories\"(Blackwell, AMD, ASIC) to eliminate obsolescence risk.Ecosystem: Partnering with Dell, HPE, NVIDIA, Groq, and SambaNova for turnkey solutions.HYPERSCALE LEADERSHIPEdgePoint (President & GM): Led the turnaround (2021–25). Achieved the first profitable year since 2016 and successfully positioned the business for acquisition.Oracle (SVP, Infrastructure): Managed $1.3B budget/1k+ team. Scaled 4 to 41 regions (1 every 21 days); cut deployment 68%; doubled capacity w/ 55% cost reduction. Built Top Secret regions.AWS (Global Head, Design): Built delivery frameworks to speed construction; created capacity planning for developers.Meta (Global Dir, Ops): Ops for 8M+ sq ft/30+ DCs (99.99% uptime). Drove $24M/yr savings via vendor renegotiation.LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION My leadership philosophy was forged in the \"silent service.\" I commanded the USS Providence (SSN-719), a $2B+ national asset, and revitalized a struggling crew to rank #1 among all Atlantic submarines.Recognition: Recipient of the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership—selected as one of only two officers Navy-wide.INDUSTRY IMPACTBoards: TerraPower & Holtec (Nuclear/SMRs); Defense Advisory Board Chair.Community: Veterans Chair, Infrastructure Masons (guided 100+ into tech).Voice: Top 10 Data Center Influencer (2021–2025); Keynote speaker; 40+ articles.ENDORSEMENT \"Tony has the rare combination of being able to cast a bold vision while also getting things done. His approach to the physical infrastructure required for AI is revolutionary.\" — Lt. Gen. Clint Hinote, USAF (Ret) EDUCATION M.S. Engineering Management (ODU)| B.S. Control Systems Engineering (US Naval Academy) SPECIALTIES AI Infrastructure | Agentic AI & Custom Silicon | Hyperscale Ops | Modular Data Centers | Nuclear Energy & SMRs | Defense | P&L | TurnaroundsLet’s connect:

Experience

1. Customer Advisory Board

   TerraPower

   Apr 2023 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Leveraging over 20 years of expertise in commanding nuclear-powered submarines, I bring unparalleled insight into making nuclear power safe, reliable, and mission-critical. Applying this experience, I now support the next generation of commercial nuclear projects, focusing on pioneering modular, advanced, and small reactor technologies.With a career forged in environments demanding zero error margins, I understand the rigor in design, operational discipline, and accountability essential for nuclear success. As an advisor, I translate this mindset into the commercial sphere, assisting companies in navigating regulatory complexities, establishing operational credibility, and designing with user priorities at the forefront.My mission is to meld the best of military nuclear culture with today\'s pressing clean energy needs. From strategic reactor deployment to refining safety protocols and ensuring stakeholder trust, I am dedicated to helping nuclear projects deliver on their promise for a sustainable future

Education

• United States Naval Academy

  Bachelor of Science (BS), Control Systems Engineering

  1992 — 1996

• Old Dominion University

  Master’s Degree, Engineering/Industrial Management

  2006 — 2008