Data Centers in russia Are Failing En Masse

A massive breakdown of data center infrastructure has begun in russia: outdated equipment is failing en masse, and due to sanctions and the costs of the war against Ukraine, the rf has effectively lost the ability to replace it promptly and fully.

Over the past six months, the number of failures in small commercial data centers and at companies’ local IT sites has risen sharply. This is a large-scale wave of failures caused by the simple wear and tear of equipment that is already 10–15 years old. Critical infrastructure components –batteries in uninterruptible power supply systems, diesel generators, and cooling systems – are reaching the end of their service life and failing.

According to market participants’ estimates, the problem has already affected about 20% of commercial data centers. The consequences could be severe: ranging from production stoppages and logistical disruptions to failures of financial services and widespread outages of digital systems.

Attempts at import substitution are seen as a necessary compromise. Chinese and local alternatives are not always compatible with existing infrastructure and often fall short in terms of reliability, which only increases the risk of new failures. At the same time, many companies simply lack the funds for large-scale modernization, as budgets are being cut while costs continue to rise.

The same situation applies to fiber-optic networks that were laid back in the early 2000s. By 2025, the warranty period had expired for most of the backbone cables along the “west–east” route.

As a result, russia is forced to operate on worn-out equipment, seek questionable workarounds, and postpone the inevitable collapse each time for a little longer, but with ever-greater risks.