The QTS Experience

Steve Altizer—mechanical legend and self-proclaimed closet architect—offers a fresh way to look at the modern data center. From the rise of prefabricated white space to liquid cooling’s growing pains, he lays out where the industry is headed and why the old concrete box might finally be ready for an upgrade. It’s smart, honest, and unexpectedly fun.

Santiago Suinaga grew up in Mexico City with a Macintosh and a dad obsessed with tech. 19 years later, he sold his data center empire and now runs Infrastructure Masons full-time. We talk power, community drama, AI boom, and why the industry needs to stop working in silos.

 

Guest LinkedIn: (33) Santiago Suinaga | LinkedIn
Infrastructure Masons: https://www.imasons.org

I sat down with Uptime Institute’s Rose Weinschenk – a former psychology researcher turned data-center truth-teller. Rose brings a rare talent: understanding the humans behind the hardware. We dig into how people actually behave in high-stakes environments, why mentorship still matters, the trouble with poaching, and what it really takes to build trust in an AI-powered future. It’s thoughtful, nerdy, and full of moments that make you wonder why more psych majors aren’t running critical infrastructure.

References & Links
Uptime Institute 2025 Staffing Survey Report: https://intelligence.uptimeinstitute.com/resource/2025-staffing-and-recruitment-survey-results-and-crosstab-files
Rose Weinschenk: https://intelligence.uptimeinstitute.com/author/rweinschenk
Uptime Institute: https://uptimeinstitute.com/ 

Structural engineer Kurt Lindorfer joins the QTS Experience to explore what happens when design goes beyond the code. From intelligent structures and base isolation to hula-dancing data centers, we blend serious seismic insight with humor—because protecting billions in data deserves a little swagger.

Join me as Manja Thessin from AFL dives into the wild world of data center densification–think packing 10x more fiber into racks without turning techs into contortionists. We geek out on AI's fiber frenzy, modular magic, and why spreadsheets are so last decade. Buckle up for this eye-opening chat!

Guest Links

Manja Thessin's LinkedIn Profile: (31) Manja Thessin, RCDD, RTPM | LinkedIn

Company Website (AFL): https://www.aflglobal.com/

Joe Rozza joins me to explore how passion, purpose, and practical sustainability collide. From Florida’s drainage ditches to corporate water stewardship, we dig into resilience, governance, and how real business value flows when companies stop treating sustainability like a side project. Dive in—this one’s deep.

External References

• Jimmy Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" (referenced regarding PLO formation and water diversion): https://www.amazon.com/Palestine-Peace-Not-Apartheid-Carter/dp/0743285034
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card (referenced for U.S. infrastructure grade of D): https://infrastructurereportcard.org/
• Net Zero Carbon commitments (general reference to corporate pledges): https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/11/net-zero-emissions-cop26-climate-change/

Guest Links

• Joe Rozza's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-rozza-p-e-bcee-a8143b12
• Ryan Companies Website: https://www.ryancompanies.com/

Brent Trenga joins me to spill on why construction is stuck in the Stone Age while we run space-age data centers. We geek out on circular economies, ethical capitalism, and why data centers should be built like Legos—easy to snap together, just as easy to snap apart—so growth and reuse don’t come with carbon regret. Tune in for laughs and lightbulb moments!

References to Studies, Reports, Data, or External Agencies

• Katerra (failed mass timber company) – Company history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katerra 
• Sidewalk Labs – Alphabet project https://www.sidewalklabs.com/ 

Guest Links

• Brent Trenga's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-trenga-a077278
• Company Website: Kingspan Insulated Panels North America https://www.kingspan.com/us/en-us/product-groups/insulated-panels

I've got Luke Saladyga sharing his wild ride from nukes on subs to hyperscale data centers at Google and now Oracle. We dive into operational maturity, high availability nines, and why curiosity beats repetition every time – because who wants boring when you can automate the chaos?

Studies, References, and External Mentions

• Myers-Briggs personality test (referenced in leadership course): https://www.myersbriggs.org/
• Open Compute Project (initiated by Meta): https://www.opencompute.org/
• Nvidia GTC conference and GB200 GPUs: https://www.nvidia.com/gtc/
• IEC 61850 standard (substation protocol): https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/6028

Guest Links

• Luke Saladyga's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saladyga/
• Oracle Company Website: https://www.oracle.com/

Sustainability in data centers boils down to slashing carbon footprints and waste—think Lean Six Sigma magic and robotic automation. I geek out with Joel Chakkalakal on decommissioning hacks, circular economies, and why ops folks deserve a seat at the design table. Let's make our industry greener, one velcro trace at a time!

Studies, References, Data, or External Agencies

• Lean Six Sigma: https://www.asq.org/quality-resources/six-sigma
• Open Compute Project (OCP): https://www.opencompute.org/
• IEEE Working Group on Data Sanitization (IEEE P2883): https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/2883/10711/
• Nomad Futurist: https://nomadfuturist.com/
• Pegasus Logistics: https://www.pegasuslogistics.com/ 

Guest Links Joel Chakkalakal's

• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chakkalakal 
• Company Website (Critical Risk Solution): https://www.criticalrisksolution.com/ 

 I'm diving into the grid's growing pains with Raiford Smith! Raiford says the grid is a balloon dog—squeeze it here, make it an anteater there. We unpack the stress

on aging infrastructure and explore innovative fixes.  Join us for a charged QTS Experience!