Best Neocloud / ClusterMAX ratings
ClusterMAX ratings, explained
SemiAnalysis ClusterMAX is the most-cited independent rating of GPU clouds. What it measures, who's on top, and how to use it without being misled.
ClusterMAX is SemiAnalysis's rating system for GPU cloud providers. It tests how well each cloud runs GPU clusters across ten areas and places providers in Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Underperforming tiers. Version 3.0 was published in September 2026.
What ClusterMAX rates
SemiAnalysis scores each provider on ten criteria (source):
| Criterion | What a buyer should read into it |
|---|---|
| Security | Tenant isolation and certifications |
| Lifecycle | How clusters are delivered, upgraded and handed back |
| Orchestration | Kubernetes and Slurm that work out of the box |
| Storage | Throughput for data loading and checkpoints |
| Networking | Fabric performance across many nodes |
| Reliability | How often things fail, and how fast they're fixed |
| Monitoring | Health checks and visibility into GPUs |
| Pricing | Transparency and terms |
| Partnerships | Relationships with NVIDIA, AMD and others |
| Availability | Whether capacity actually exists to rent |
ClusterMAX versions
- 1.0 (spring 2025): the first edition, 26 providers. CoreWeave was the only Platinum (Blocks and Files).
- 2.0 (6 November 2025): 84 providers rated (SemiAnalysis). CoreWeave kept Platinum (CoreWeave).
- 3.0 (September 2026): the current edition (SemiAnalysis).
ClusterMAX 3.0 tiers
As summarised by FourWeekMBA:
| Tier | Providers |
|---|---|
| Platinum | CoreWeave, Nebius |
| Gold | Oracle, Google Cloud |
| Silver | Lambda, Microsoft Azure, Firmus, TensorWave, GMI Cloud |
| Bronze | AWS, Together AI, Crusoe, and others |
Check the official ClusterMAX site for full standings and the reasons behind each rating.
How to use ClusterMAX when buying
- Use it to shortlist, not to decide. A Platinum provider with no capacity in your window is no use to you.
- Read the reasons. A provider can drop a tier for things that don't affect your job, or rise on things that don't help it.
- Test your own workload. Ask for a trial allocation on the exact hardware and fabric you'll contract.
- Ratings age. Fleets change between editions. Ask what has changed since the last review.
Then compare quotes on the same configuration. We can collect them for you.
Questions
What is SemiAnalysis ClusterMAX?
Who is rated Platinum in ClusterMAX?
How often is ClusterMAX updated?
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