Electromagnetic Interference: The Invisible Threat to Data Center Uptime

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.