Underground data center placement protects server equipment from direct air strikes but does not guarantee the safety of the entire infrastructure. The main risks are associated with cooling, power supply, and communication systems, which partially remain on the surface, explained Matvey Smirnov, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Vice-Rector of Tver State Technical University.

According to Smirnov, to ensure stable data center operation, it is not enough to strengthen underground premises: it is necessary to redundantly engineer systems and route communication channels along different paths. Fiber-optic lines and satellite channels also depend on ground infrastructure, and during construction, the facility is particularly vulnerable due to open excavations and a large number of contractors.

A separate engineering problem is protecting underground structures from water. Reinforced concrete must withstand loads, maintain tightness, and resist moisture, salts, and temperature fluctuations. Hydrostatic pressure can cause the structure to float and compromise its integrity.

The reliability of an underground data center depends not only on the strength of its walls and the depth of server placement. The entire infrastructure complex must be protected — from cooling and power supply to data transmission channels, providing for backup systems and the separation of critical elements.

In October, drone attacks affected several Russian data centers. From October 8 to 11, three Yandex sites in the Ryazan, Kaluga, and Vladimir regions were attacked: the facility in Sasovo and the center in the Vladimir region completely ceased operations, and in Kaluga, part of the infrastructure failed. On October 14, Sber also confirmed an attack on a data center under construction in Balakovo, Saratov Oblast, stating that banking systems and services continued to operate normally.