Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai • Hacker News Board

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#101

Post by xg15 » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 12:04 PM UTC

tristanj wrote: post #16

xoa wrote: post #7

This may have been long discussed, but I feel like this war is the first time I've really thought hard about how big a target data centers would be in any sort of modern peer war and how that's an entirely new thing since the last time it was really on the radar (end of CW) right? We've built trillions and trillions of dollars in infrastructure in the peace time since, and it seems fairly concentrated. AWS is amongst…

Instead of targeting data center itself, it's far easier to target the electrical substation that powers the datacenter. It's relatively simple to do. Transformers require oil to cool themselves, and if the coolant reservoir is damaged, then they overheat and shut off. This exact infrastructure attack occurred in North Carolina in 2022 [0], where someone fired bullets into the coolant reservoirs and caused a several…

> where someone fired bullets into the coolant reservoirs and caused a several day power outage.

So you mean to say, one doesn't even need drones, a datacenter could be (temporarily) taken out with a handgun?

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#102

Post by rcxdude » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 12:07 PM UTC

ghywertelling wrote: post #99

mooreds wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget underseas cables: https://www.submarinecablemap.com/

How about using drone submarines to cut optic fibre undersea cables? Can geolocation coordinates be beamed to submarines deep under water?

Communicating with submarines that are deep underwater is pretty hard. There are techniques like ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) but they require a small power station to transmit a few characters a minute.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#103

Post by rcxdude » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 12:09 PM UTC

sophacles wrote: post #27

lta wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it is. There are many many cases where you do want to own them. The people you rent yours from are making a shit load of money so it doesn't sound that bad of an idea

I buy lots of things from people who make a pile of money from low margin goods/services sheerly on scale. There are many things i could not reproduce more cheaply from constituent parts, even if i value my time at $0. This includes things I have expertise in.

AWS is clearly not in a low-margin business, though.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#104

Post by rcxdude » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 12:10 PM UTC

indolering wrote: post #8

xoa wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if you dont colo your own servers you don't own anything. I'm confused, what does ownership have to do with this particular failure mode? The issue here is a (for many) unforeseen new tradeoff involved in centralization. Colocating at a central place has the exact same tradeoff in this case: bandwidth is vastly more available and cheaper towards the core, and there are significant amortization gains to be had with…

I think it's a joke: you REALLY don't want to own your own servers.

The challenges of doing so are often significantly overstated. It can make a lot of sense to own them.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#105

Post by morkalork » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 12:11 PM UTC

xg15 wrote: post #101

tristanj wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of targeting data center itself, it's far easier to target the electrical substation that powers the datacenter. It's relatively simple to do. Transformers require oil to cool themselves, and if the coolant reservoir is damaged, then they overheat and shut off. This exact infrastructure attack occurred in North Carolina in 2022 [0], where someone fired bullets into the coolant reservoirs and caused a several…

> where someone fired bullets into the coolant reservoirs and caused a several day power outage. So you mean to say, one doesn't even need drones, a datacenter could be (temporarily) taken out with a handgun?

This is the same sinking realization people had after 9/11 when thinking about infrastructure. Just damaging one or two substations serving the downtown core of a major city could cause massive economic damage.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#106

Post by integralid » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 1:26 PM UTC

onoesworkacct wrote: post #78

lta wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it is. There are many many cases where you do want to own them. The people you rent yours from are making a shit load of money so it doesn't sound that bad of an idea

you're going to save money by having your own physical servers?

Yes, a lot of money in fact.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#107

Post by dvfjsdhgfv » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 1:43 PM UTC

xoa wrote: post #7

This may have been long discussed, but I feel like this war is the first time I've really thought hard about how big a target data centers would be in any sort of modern peer war and how that's an entirely new thing since the last time it was really on the radar (end of CW) right? We've built trillions and trillions of dollars in infrastructure in the peace time since, and it seems fairly concentrated. AWS is amongst…

Tangentially related but Iran wasn't much of a threat to the USA before Trump decided to attack it. And apart from Israel, nobody is backing this war. The sooner he realizes it makes zero sense, the better for the whole world. It seems that apart from Russia and the USA, other countries are not so eager to start wars. And what is happening now is a bitter lesson also for China: starting a war is easy, winning it is nearly impossible. So I hope we won't really start to build all infra in under-earth bunkers after all.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#108

Post by znnajdla » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 2:24 PM UTC

tristanj wrote: post #16

xoa wrote: post #7

This may have been long discussed, but I feel like this war is the first time I've really thought hard about how big a target data centers would be in any sort of modern peer war and how that's an entirely new thing since the last time it was really on the radar (end of CW) right? We've built trillions and trillions of dollars in infrastructure in the peace time since, and it seems fairly concentrated. AWS is amongst…

Instead of targeting data center itself, it's far easier to target the electrical substation that powers the datacenter. It's relatively simple to do. Transformers require oil to cool themselves, and if the coolant reservoir is damaged, then they overheat and shut off. This exact infrastructure attack occurred in North Carolina in 2022 [0], where someone fired bullets into the coolant reservoirs and caused a several…

It’s far more difficult to replace a data center than to replace transformers. Ukraine’s electricity grid has been under attack for years and manages to replace and rebuild transformers and restore power within hours.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#109

Post by Hikikomori » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 3:24 PM UTC

sysguest wrote: post #72

xoa wrote: post #7

This may have been long discussed, but I feel like this war is the first time I've really thought hard about how big a target data centers would be in any sort of modern peer war and how that's an entirely new thing since the last time it was really on the radar (end of CW) right? We've built trillions and trillions of dollars in infrastructure in the peace time since, and it seems fairly concentrated. AWS is amongst…

hmm maybe aws should make datacenter locations secret? I mean, why even publish those locations? if this is purely for PR, they can publish fake locations... if this is for VIP visits... well you can always send private invitations

>Disclaimer: Please be aware that Amazon Web Services does not list its data center locations publicly. Hence all AWS listings in our database are based on publicly available information from third parties, open databases, property registries, construction applications, permits, tenders, news coverage and our custom research. There may be incorrect or outdated locations, as well as locations missing.

AWS doesn't disclose their locations.

Re: Iran strikes leave Amazon availability zones "hard down" in Bahrain and Dubai

#110

Post by megous » Sat, Apr 04, 2026, 9:08 PM UTC

PaulDavisThe1st wrote: post #38

georgemcbay wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Until it is clear that the use of AI in "actually fighting wars" doesn't put senior military people at risk of never being able to leave their own country again for fear of prosecution for war crimes I don't believe that's a real concern that the senior military people have anymore. War crimes are legal in 2026. That ship has sailed (and was double tap struck by the US Navy). Nobody is doing anything about it.

War crimes are unlikely to be prosecuted within the USA . On this we agree. Which is why I specifically mentioned the risk of not being able to leave the country, because I'd be willing to wager a bit more than international prosecutions for war crimes are significantly more likely, and would be occuring in a world that is growing noticeably more "America needs to be taught a lesson" in spirit.

Primarily, countries should prosecute their own criminals. That's the whole sovereignty thing. If you don't, and these are international criminals, your country as a whole is what we call a state supporter of terrorism, or some such, if those international crimes have political goals and are directed against other countries and their people as a whole (and don't fit the high bar of self-defense). If the crimes are done by those in power, it's just state terrorism.