Electromagnetic Interference: The Invisible Threat to Data Center Uptime
Denser digital infrastructure and pervasive wireless have raised background radio-frequency levels. Here’s how EMI threatens data centers and what operators can do to contain it.
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an invisible disruption caused by electromagnetic waves from natural sources like lightning and human-made sources like cellular transmitters and power supplies that can damage data center equipment and cause outages. The risk is growing because digital infrastructure is becoming denser and more widespread, with ubiquitous wireless networks and high-power 5G infrastructure creating higher baseline electromagnetic energy, while data centers themselves generate EMI that can affect neighboring facilities. Data centers can protect against EMI through shielding with conductive materials like aluminum, installing EMI-resistant gaskets, using power supplies with built-in filtering, maintaining proper grounding and bonding, organizing cables carefully, and selecting sites away from strong emitters like cellular infrastructure and high-voltage transmission lines. Beyond environmental factors, intentional attacks using EMI to cause targeted interference represent an additional threat that many operators have historically underestimated in their risk assessments.
One short email a day with the stories that matter. Free. Unsubscribe with one click.
Want to go deeper than the news? Explore live, cohort-based AI courses taught by practitioners.
Browse AI courses on Maven
Google Unveils TPU 8i Max and TPU 8tx: A Dual-Chip TPU and a Confidential TPU
Google has added two new systems to its eighth-generation TPU lineup. TPU 8i Max targets massive context windows and rack density. TPU 8tx targets secure, confidential inference. Google TPU 8i Max is a dual-chip package built from 2 TPU 8i chips. Both arrive alongside TPU 8t and TPU 8i, announced in April. TL;DR Size: TPU 8i Max = 2 TPU 8i chips in 1 package. TPU 8tx = TPU 8t silicon plus 5th Gen AMD EPYC hosts. Runs on: Google Cloud TPU systems. Performance: 8i Max doubles TPU 8
Also reported by Data Center Knowledge
IBM Announces IBM Quantum Nighthawk r3: A New Processor to Support 10k Quantum Operations on 520 Programmable Qubits
IBM has announced IBM Quantum Nighthawk r3, its next superconducting quantum processor. It is designed to run 10,000 quantum operations accurately across 520 programmable qubits. In 2027, IBM plans to link 2 r3 chips into a single 1,040-qubit system. For developers, the announcement is speed. The current Nighthawk r2 already runs workloads up to 19x faster than IBM’s earlier processors. TL;DR Size: Nighthawk r3: 520 programmable qubits, 2,034 physical qubits, 10 l-couplers. Nightha
Why the data center you dread might never even be built
The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure […]
How backlash and red tape continue to slow data centers post-Blue Wave
The data center boom is running into serious real-world obstacles, from widespread local opposition and permitting delays to a scramble for electricity. Before those challenges even come into play, though, there’s a more basic problem: A lot of the projects being announced may never get built in the first place. With billions of dollars in AI infrastructure […]
AMD Launches Epyc SP7, Helion as AI Rack Demand Rises
AMD has begun shipping sixth-gen Epyc servers and is rolling out Helion AI racks, signaling a bigger push into enterprise and agentic AI infrastructure.
Google broadens its AI hardware portfolio with two new specialized chips
Google's new tensor processing units (TPUs) broaden its chip portfolio to more use cases: confidential model training and more memory capacity.