About Kern Labs
Planning Work That Holds Up When Numbers Are Questioned
Kern Labs is an independent practice based in George Town, Penang. We help technology teams think carefully about compute capacity — before commitments are made, not after.
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Started With a Simple Observation
Kern Labs came together in Penang after its founders spent several years embedded in engineering and infrastructure roles, watching the same problem repeat itself: teams would reach a capacity wall mid-project because planning had happened too late or too loosely.
The fix was rarely technical. It was usually a matter of sitting down earlier, with the right questions, and working through the numbers carefully. Kern Labs was built to offer exactly that — structured planning work, done independently, grounded in a team's own data rather than generic benchmarks.
We operate from George Town because the technology and research ecosystem in Penang has been growing steadily, and teams here have the same infrastructure planning needs as those in larger hubs — without always having access to the same depth of support.
Our Mission
Make Capacity Planning Less Opaque
Transparent Assumptions
Every forecast names its inputs. Teams should understand what's driving the numbers, not just receive a figure.
Independence Without Agenda
We have no hardware partnerships and no vendor relationships. The work is driven by what the data suggests, not by what we might prefer you to purchase.
Scope Matched to Reality
Not every team needs a multi-year roadmap. A well-structured half-day session can produce a working plan that serves a team for months.
The Team
People Behind the Work
A small, focused team with backgrounds in infrastructure engineering and technical programme management.
Amir Shahril
Principal Planner
Over a decade working in infrastructure planning for research and AI product teams across Malaysia and Singapore. Leads forecasting and roadmap engagements.
Nurul Liyana
Utilisation Analyst
Specialises in compute utilisation analysis and right-sizing reviews. Brings a data-first approach to identifying where infrastructure is over- or under-provisioned.
Tan Kah Wei
Technical Coordinator
Manages engagement logistics, deliverable timelines, and client communication. Ensures each session is well-prepared and outputs reach teams in a format they can act on.
How We Work
Standards We Hold Ourselves To
These aren't policies we wrote for a website. They're practices that shape how every engagement is run.
Data Handling
Usage data shared with us during reviews is handled with discretion. We do not retain client figures beyond the engagement unless explicitly agreed in writing.
Documented Scope
Every engagement begins with a written scope document. What is included and what is not is stated clearly, so there are no surprises when the work closes.
Honest Communication
If a team's situation doesn't call for the engagement they enquired about, we say so. Recommending less than was asked for is part of maintaining long-term credibility.
Explicit Assumptions
Planning figures are only as reliable as the assumptions behind them. We name every assumption in our outputs so teams can update them as their situation evolves.
Delivery Commitments
Timelines agreed at the start of an engagement are ones we hold to. When something affects delivery, we communicate promptly rather than letting a deadline pass quietly.
Knowledge Transfer
Deliverables are structured so teams can use and update them independently. The goal is a plan your team owns, not one that requires us to interpret it on every call.
Our Expertise
Capacity Planning as a Discipline, Not a Checkbox
Compute capacity planning for accelerator infrastructure sits at an unusual intersection. It requires enough technical understanding to engage with workload profiles and provisioning options, while also demanding fluency in budgeting cycles, procurement lead times, and organisational decision-making. Teams that plan well tend to combine both — but finding that combination internally isn't always feasible.
Kern Labs approaches each engagement as an independent planning partner. We are not selling a methodology or a platform. The work is analytical: understanding what a team expects to run, mapping that to what infrastructure can realistically support, and identifying the gaps and timings that matter most for procurement and budget planning.
In the Malaysian context, accelerator capacity planning carries additional considerations: regional availability of hardware, the timeline realities of local procurement, and the specific mix of research, commercial, and institutional workloads that characterise teams in this market. Penang in particular has seen growth in deep tech and AI-adjacent activity, and the planning needs of teams here are genuine and specific.
The three services offered by Kern Labs map to where teams typically find themselves: forming a first estimate, reviewing what they already have, or building a multi-horizon plan to support sustained scaling. Each has a defined scope, a fixed price, and outputs that teams can hand to stakeholders without needing to explain or translate them.
Work With Us
Start With a Conversation
A short exchange is usually enough to understand whether one of our engagements is a fit for what you're working on. No commitment involved in asking.
Get in Touch