A fire at a data center used by Elon Musk's X began due to potential electrical or mechanical issues in a power system. The incident occurred on May 22 in Hillsboro, Oregon, with the facility operated by Digital Realty. Rare events like this, totaling around two dozen incidents in the past decade, become increasingly prevalent amid the growing demand for generative AI, which stresses data center operations. The fire involved a Schneider Electric Galaxy VX uninterruptible power supply cabinet, commonly used to provide steady electricity during outages.
Data center fires are rare, with about two dozen well-known incidents over the past decade across thousands of facilities globally. However, the growing demand for generative AI is increasing the power needs of data centers, making them potentially more vulnerable to fires. The intense load from advanced computations can lead to overheating or malfunctions.
At the X data center, firefighters initially considered a lithium-ion battery as a cause of the fire, but later findings indicated that the ignition stemmed from a Schneider Electric Galaxy VX UPS cabinet. This infrastructure is crucial for maintaining consistent electricity supply during outages.
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