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

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

#71
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…

> I've really thought hard about

Yeah. Financialize the economy presupposing a global open market, then subvert, boycott and bomb said market. So clever.

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

#72
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

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

#73
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't it me much more effective and efficient to have a mechanism to simply not pick leaders who choose war?

History suggests we’ll have wars periodically, probably for as long as humans exist.

Progress is possible, it just requires retaining lessons from the past, and education

Without those, yes, we remain unevolved and the argument — we are powerful apes is indeed valid

Price of Peace 1945 (Beveridge) https://ia601505.us.archive.org/17/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.2...

And Price of Peace 2020 (Carter) https://www.amazon.com/Price-Peace-Democracy-Maynard-Keynes/...

Should be required reading

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

#74
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

But aren't they pretty hard to hide? I mean, they cover a lot of grounds, they have lots of infrastructure leading right to them...even if someone makes a few wrong guesses, it's going to be easy to find where the data centers are.

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

#75
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Building blast resistant is a common practices for Refinery control rooms. The same methodologies can be employed for data centers as well. 1 blast can be expensively guarded againt. However designing anything above ground for sustained barges is practically/commercially prohibitive. Underground is only option. PS: Civil Engineer. Designed few of those Gas explosion resistant control rooms.

Wouldn't it me much more effective and efficient to have a mechanism to simply not pick leaders who choose war?

Most people on the planet did not pick Trump or Putin or any of the other leaders who recently chose to start a war.

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

#76

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…

You forgot the diesel generators within the DCs

Right. The diesel generator radiators are also susceptible to the same attack. A few bullets to each radiator would cause a coolant leak, and eventually they'd run out of coolant, overheat, and shut off.

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

#77
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the first time I've really thought hard about how big a target data centers would be in any sort of modern peer war Given the rapid and increasing rise of AI use in actually fighting wars, I suspect data centers won't just be a big target, they will eventually be the #1 priority target. Taking them offline won't just be of interest in terms of economic damage, it will be a direct strategic goal toward militarily wi…

If they hit AI data centers, 50% of software developers will convert to Islam. :)

Care to explain?

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

#78
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

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?

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

#79

Trump really only babbles nothing burgers now. The whole "we must open the Strait of Hormuz", but it was closed following the invasion of Iran at the behest of Netanyahu proxy-controlling Trump - so how is that then logical that you refer to a prior state that already existed, as a new war-meta-goal? This is like an autogenerate of fake news and lies. This can not be the person really "leading" the USA, so who is rea…

Most of the world is past blaming Trump for this. They're now blaming Americans for not removing an obviously insane tyrant from power. Americans have long said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Well, where's that vigilance? You're not all blind, are you? Suddenly lost your taste for "freedom", have you?

You may not have voted for Trump, but now you're accountable to the world for him.

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

#80
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…

You're barking up the wrong tree.

The gear to replace the power infra is more readily available than the thousands and thousands of miles of wire and fiber in a datacenter, plus all the equipment, batteries, inverter/chargers, maybe some diesel generators, etc.

If you want to do economic damage, you hit the datacenter.

If you want to turn the people of the country against you and mobilize them, then you hit the power infra.

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