Max Smolaks

Max Smolaks

Max is a Research Analyst at Uptime Institute Intelligence. Mr Smolaks’ expertise spans digital infrastructure management software, power and cooling equipment, and regulations and standards. He has 10 years’ experience as a technology journalist, reporting on innovation in IT and data center infrastructure.

Latest Research

The DeepSeek paradox: more efficiency, more infrastructure?

The emergence of the Chinese DeepSeek LLM has raised many questions. In this analysis, Uptime Intelligence considers some of the implications for all those primarily concerned with the deployment of AI infrastructure.

AI supremacy: how will the new US GPU export controls work?

The US government is applying a new set of rules to control the building of large AI clusters around the world. The application of these rules will be complex.

REPLAY | Five data center predictions for 2025

Uptime Intelligence surveys the data center industry landscape to look deeper at what can actually happen in 2025 and beyond based on the latest trends and developments. The stronghold that AI has on the industry is a constant discussion - but how…

Five data center predictions for 2025

Uptime Intelligence looks beyond the more obvious trends of 2025 and examines some of the latest developments and challenges shaping the data center industry.

Nvidia’s vision for data centers may be a false prophecy

Nvidia's dominant position in the AI hardware market may be steering data center design in the wrong direction. This dominance will be harder to sustain as enterprises begin to understand AI and opt for cheaper, simpler hardware.

REPLAY | Uptime Intelligence Client Webinar: Cooling the AI heat wave

In this inaugural Uptime Intelligence client webinar, Uptime experts discuss and answer questions on cooling technologies and strategies to address AI workloads. Uptime Intelligence client webinars are only available for Uptime Intelligence…

Why bigger is not better: gen AI models are shrinking

Not all generative AI applications will require large and dense infrastructure footprints. This complicates AI power consumption projections and data center planning.

Should data centers sell their heat?

Historically, data center waste heat recovery has been promoted with a focus on the benefits for the heat off-taker. And yet, the overall winner in most situations is the data center operator - even if they are not paid for heat.

AI has a weight problem

Generative AI models brought about an influx of high-density cabinets. There has been much focus on how to best manage thermal issues, but the weight of power distribution equipment is a potentially overlooked concern.

Hardware for AI: what makes it different

Most operators will be familiar with the outrageous power and cooling demands of hardware for generative AI. Why are these systems so difficult to accommodate, and what does this mean for the future of data center design?

Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2024

The 14th edition of the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey highlights the experiences and strategies of data center owners and operators in the areas of resiliency, sustainability, efficiency, staffing, cloud and AI.

Global IT disruption highlights concentration, third-party risk

Several recent outages have exposed the global dependency on a small number of third-party suppliers - and governments around the world are already taking note.

iPDUs: a critical step for next generation efficiency

Metered-by-outlet iPDUs present a relatively straightforward method of collecting server-level power consumption data. This information will be increasingly important to data center efficiency - making iPDUs a more popular choice.

The impact of AI on data center operations (Part I)

This report outlines the characteristics of machine learning (ML) applications, describes production use cases for ML-based software in data center M&O, and profiles several vendors offering AI-based functionality in their products.

UK prepares resiliency, cybersecurity legislation for colocation

Operators of data centers in the UK have voiced concerns over the proposed resiliency and cybersecurity regulations that are aimed specifically at providers of colocation and "co-hosting" services.