From TechRadar · · 1m 40s
Russia eyes coal mines as drone-proof data centers
Russia proposes burying server farms in abandoned coal pits up to 300 metres deep to shield them from Ukrainian drone attacks.
In brief
Russia proposes burying server farms in abandoned coal pits up to 300 metres deep to shield them from Ukrainian drone attacks. Russia is considering converting exhausted coal mines into data centers for protection against Ukrainian drone strikes, though the proposal faces major engineering challenges. Originally…
Russia proposes coal mines for data centers
Ilya Seredyuk, governor of the Kemerovo region, has proposed using exhausted mining sites for computing facilities and cryptocurrency operations following reported damage to digital infrastructure during Ukrainian drone attacks.
Deep pits offer space and protection
Some former open pits reach about three hundred metres deep, creating substantial vertical space for infrastructure without requiring conventional surface construction across large areas.
Water could cool underground servers
Seredyuk suggested that accumulated mine water and underground waterways could help lower cooling expenses for server facilities buried in the abandoned pits.
Yandex data center attacked in October
A drone attack sparked a fire at a Yandex data center in Sasovo, within the Ryazan region, on October eight, twenty twenty-six. Yandex subsequently suspended operations at the affected facility.
Yandex obscured four facility locations
Russian outlet Verstka reported that Yandex had obscured four cloud data center locations on its mapping service in Mytishchi, Kaluga, Vladimir and Sasovo.
Underground sites face major challenges
Converting deep open pits into computing facilities would require substantial engineering assessments covering structural stability, water management, electricity supply, ventilation and emergency access.
Proposal remains uncertain and untested
At the moment this is simply a proposal and the technical feasibility of such a project remains uncertain. Russia must determine whether abandoned coal mines offer a practical alternative to conventional data center sites.
The big picture
Russia is considering converting exhausted coal mines into data centers for protection against Ukrainian drone strikes, though the proposal faces major engineering challenges.
