Matt Merkel
About Matt Merkel
Matt Merkel serves as the Vice President of Network Operations at Core Scientific, where he has implemented automation to deploy over 1000 network devices daily and built vendor partnerships to address supply chain challenges. With a background in network engineering and management, he has developed strategies to enhance operational efficiency and designed the network infrastructure for a major blockchain mining operation.
Work at Core Scientific
Matt Merkel has served as Vice President of Network Operations at Core Scientific since 2018. In this role, he has implemented scalable, python-based automation solutions that enable the deployment of over 1,000 new and legacy network devices daily. His leadership has been pivotal in building diverse vendor partnerships to address supply chain challenges that arose due to production limitations starting in 2020. Merkel's efforts have contributed to the operational efficiency and resilience of the network infrastructure at Core Scientific.
Previous Experience in Network Engineering
Before joining Core Scientific, Matt Merkel held several key positions in network engineering. He worked as Director of Network Engineering at Elauwit from 2009 to 2011, where he focused on power distribution planning and engineering. Following that, he served as Network Manager at Zeus from 2011 to 2018, where he negotiated network carrier agreements to deploy redundant services in areas that were previously unserviceable. His experience also includes a role as Senior Network Administrator at YRT2 from 2006 to 2009.
Education and Expertise
Matt Merkel earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from the University of South Carolina. His educational background provides a strong foundation for his expertise in network operations and engineering. Merkel has demonstrated proficiency in developing strategies for device replacement and has built a network team capable of managing over 2,000 devices per staff member.
Achievements in Network Infrastructure
Merkel has made significant contributions to network infrastructure design and deployment. Notably, he designed and deployed the network infrastructure for the largest blockchain mining operation in the world. Additionally, he developed a sparing and replacement strategy that streamlined device replacement processes, allowing entry-level data center staff to manage these tasks efficiently, thereby reducing full-time equivalent staffing needs and mean time to repair.