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New episode features Datum CEO Zac Smith on why AI workloads are forcing a 30-year-old data center rule to change

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Aug. 4, 2026 — Park Place Technologies, a global leader in IT infrastructure services, today announced the release of the latest episode of its podcast, “The Savvy CIO.” Episode 2, "Liquid Cooling: When, Why, and Which?", features Zac Smith, CEO and co-founder of Datum, in conversation with host Bradd Busick about one of the most urgent and least understood shifts happening inside today's data centers.

For decades, keeping liquids away from hardware was the cardinal rule of data center design. AI has changed that equation. As rack densities climb from a few kilowatts to hundreds of kilowatts, with megawatt racks on the horizon, traditional air cooling can no longer keep pace, forcing IT leaders to rethink infrastructure at the chip level.

In the episode, Smith walks listeners through the practical realities CIOs face today: how to evaluate workload requirements, what questions to ask data center and colocation partners, and the operational risks, from monitoring gaps to what he calls the "2:00 AM problem,” that come with adopting liquid cooling.

The episode also includes perspective from Chris Carrero, Chief Technology Officer at Park Place Technologies, on the lack of industry standardization across liquid cooling systems and the gap between greenfield and brownfield data center readiness.

Key discussion points include:

• Why AI and GPU-driven workloads have made liquid cooling a "now problem," not a five-year plan
• The trade-offs between immersion cooling, direct-to-chip cooling, rear door cooling, and traditional air cooling
• Questions every CIO should ask their data center and hardware partners before committing to a cooling strategy
• The operational and staffing changes required to support liquid-cooled infrastructure safely

"I think you're going to wake up in 2028 or 2029, and it's going to be here before you know it," said Smith. "If you're putting computers into market before 2030, you need to understand liquid cooling now."

The Savvy CIO is produced by Park Place Technologies and explores the budget pressures, AI adoption challenges, and security concerns facing today's IT leaders, along with the people solving them every day.

Episode 2 is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

About Park Place Technologies

Park Place Technologies is a leading global IT infrastructure services firm with $1.2 billion in annual revenue and 3,300 employees. We help 25,000+ organizations in 180 countries – including half the Fortune 500 – fuel innovation and accelerate AI transformation by dramatically reducing time and money spent on IT infrastructure management, while boosting performance and uptime.

Powered by the world’s largest on-the-ground engineering team, a robust group of advanced engineers, and our global Enterprise Operations Centers, Park Place delivers significant cost savings on hardware maintenance, software technical support, hardware procurement, and more. We also streamline IT infrastructure management, freeing internal teams from day-to-day tasks, enabling them to focus on strategic initiatives — including AI acceleration.

CONTACT

Park Place Technologies

Michael Miller, Sr. Director of Global Communications
mmiller@parkplacetech.com

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samantha.bell@parkplacetech.com

Feintuch Communications

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