5 ms·

AWS's 3 data centres in me-south-1 are: BAH53 (Manama): https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492345589 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492345589 An adjoini

by dhx 2mo ago

AWS's 3 data centres in me-south-1 are: BAH53 (Manama): https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492345589 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492345589 An adjoining substation to BAH53 had one of it's two main buildings damaged/destroyed about 2026-07-16 per https://soaratlas.com/maps/asia-damage-to-data-center-power-substation-bahrain-jul-16th-2026-142024 Then about 2026-07-22 BAH53 itself was damaged/destroyed per https://soaratlas.com/maps/asia-damage-to-amazon-web-services-bahrain-jul-22nd-2026-142112 Possibly the least defended of the three sites as there is no air/missile defence battery in between this site and Iran. BAH54 (Zallaq): https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1359931661 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1359931661 No media reports about this data centre being attacked previously. Possibly the safest of the three as there are at least two (probably three) air/missile defence batteries in between this site and Iran. BAH55 (Hamala): https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/956069872 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/956069872 Apparently the Batelco DC.1 data centre adjoining (and apparently critical to) BAH55 was damaged/destroyed about 2026-04-01 per https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgk28nj0lrjo _or_ the adjoining substation to these two facilities was damaged/destroyed -- news articles are hard to follow as to what exactly might have been damaged and the extent of damage caused. Middle ground for defence with one or two (maybe three) air/missile defence batteries between this site and Iran, depending on where drones/missiles are launched from. If these data centres are rebuilt, you'd maybe expect them to be rebuilt in new locations behind existing _permanent_ (and seemingly quite expensive) air/missile defence batteries in Bahrain (https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492281507 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492281507 and https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492953902 https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1492953902). Based on the permanency of those air/missile defence batteries it doesn't look like the government of Bahrain are expecting things to get safer for data centre hosting in Bahrain any time soon.

palmotea 2mo ago
> If these data centres are rebuilt, you'd maybe expect them to be rebuilt in new locations behind existing _permanent_ (and seemingly quite expensive) air/missile defence batteries in Bahrain I've seen data centers that were built to withstand an aircraft impact (they were located on a major airport flight path). I wonder if they'd rebuild these to that standard or something even stronger, given these attacks. It probably wouldn't help much against ballistic missiles, but it might make it more resilient against drone attacks. Here's a Google Maps link to BAH53 (Manama), it doesn't look like the hardened data centers I seen (e.g. sloped walls like a bunker): https://maps.app.goo.gl/6DjhQs753p6EHQUu6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/6DjhQs753p6EHQUu6
- throwaway2037 2mo ago
  > I've seen data centers that were built to withstand an aircraft impact (they were located on a major airport flight path). Can you give an example? I find this hard to believe. Why not pick a location not within a "major airport flight path"? It seems much cheaper.
  - bombcar 2mo ago
    At least one colo facility I’ve been was an ex-defense facility. And it had reasons to be where it was, and to be hardened.
  - yardstick 2mo ago
    London has lots of datacentres in Slough (near Heathrow) and Docklands (London City Airport, but also many LHR planes transit over). AWS/Azure/GCP/etc Colo in Equinix/Telehouse datacentres there, and those Docklands locations in particular were picked based on location to LINX (major London peering/interchange), and LINX was put in Docklands out of desire for relatively proximity to telcos, and London’s banking/finance industry.
    - throwaway2037 2mo ago
      Were those obviously hardened to withstand the impact of an jet aeroplane? I doubt it.
      - yardstick 2mo ago
        No idea, just answering the “Why not pick a location not within a "major airport flight path"? It seems much cheaper.” question.
      - yardstick 2mo ago
        Semi-related, there are some very cool converted datacentres in the UK. The Bunker operates an underground datacentre out of a former military installation. Radar base if memory serves me. That’s definitely hardened from airplane attacks and I believe is used by some hyperscalers. https://thebunker.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Bunker-Ash-Data-Centre-Data-Sheet.pdf https://thebunker.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Bunker-...
Melatonic 2mo ago
What's hosted at BAH54?
- chews 2mo ago
  The 8200 used Microsoft datacenters in Netherlands and Ireland and got cut off.... maybe they switched providers
vasco 2mo ago
It's sad but also interesting that in someone's disaster recovery plan now they need to add a line item about analyzing which datacenters are behind air defenses.
dhx 2mo ago
Update: IRGC published satellite imagery a few hours ago showing an impact to BAH54, apparently impacted on 2026-07-24, alongside another undated image before the impact. From a quick comparison of both images with reliable satellite imagery sources (e.g. WV02 image dated 2025-02-21 on ESRI World Imagery Wayback) there are no obvious signs of image manipulation, with roof features and surrounding buildings/other features lining up as expected. Additionally the claimed post-strike image adds a significant number of vehicles to the site (when there are usually close to none present), which may correspond to fire fighting vehicles expected to be monitoring the site afterwards. Further, Sentinel-2 imagery from 2026-07-24 shows a dark patch (blast damage) on the roof of BAH54 per https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=18&lat=26.05096&lng=50.505&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2FBhOOoTjHdi47xgOyNOyq4ViXctLUx6BML4JV87USLO70FQrVMZRDOuo51lFcquLx3tPp5rpUDqa8XSaoUgeIRvpg4m9LgWrZGgTzZaMYtXZTPIx9J%2BN2C&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-07-24T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-07-24T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=18&lat=26.0509...
dhx 2mo ago
Update 2: Upon checking Sentinel-2 imagery for BAH55 from 2026-03-29 to 2026-04-13 (and all later imagery) there is also visible blast damage to the roof of BAH55, which would correspond in timing to media reports about damage caused about 2026-04-01. Sentinel-2 imagery appears to clarify AWS' claim of "while in Bahrain, a drone strike in close proximity to one of our facilities" to mean a direct impact to the building. However it seems likely from high resolution satellite imagery of BAH55 that the machinery rooms of the building perhaps took most of the damage, perhaps leaving data halls in a better shape elsewhere in the building (but possibly still unusable due to water/smoke damage). [1] https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&lng=50.47834&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2Fw5mHZWOYZDa4YUMn8v1fQpZu%2FcqMDdblbzAPsuzzeQRne1Gcp3ko4msKcSLuPi8gOVU0r3rwuS36wT7J5o%2F458yaeO%2FMVr9PeZgRtdQE3abwl4ylYkZys&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-03-29T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-03-29T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&... [2] https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&lng=50.47834&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2Bt1jX5zan9wgSCbM8pXIuFa%2BWHURYdjsMsT%2FA%2ByEgIJdPvJTXH0crwk9Po%2FhJhxW7eMId2aKEg6WtB8mqTf5dtNTCps6bkRGkCsziUVIP8Ci8MPxGaJCYN&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-04-13T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-04-13T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&...

by dhx 2mo ago

palmotea 2mo ago

> If these data centres are rebuilt, you'd maybe expect them to be rebuilt in new locations behind existing _permanent_ (and seemingly quite expensive) air/missile defence batteries in Bahrain I've seen data centers that were built to withstand an aircraft impact (they were located on a major airport flight path). I wonder if they'd rebuild these to that standard or something even stronger, given these attacks. It probably wouldn't help much against ballistic missiles, but it might make it more resilient against drone attacks. Here's a Google Maps link to BAH53 (Manama), it doesn't look like the hardened data centers I seen (e.g. sloped walls like a bunker): https://maps.app.goo.gl/6DjhQs753p6EHQUu6 https://maps.app.goo.gl/6DjhQs753p6EHQUu6

throwaway2037 2mo ago
> I've seen data centers that were built to withstand an aircraft impact (they were located on a major airport flight path). Can you give an example? I find this hard to believe. Why not pick a location not within a "major airport flight path"? It seems much cheaper.
- bombcar 2mo ago
  At least one colo facility I’ve been was an ex-defense facility. And it had reasons to be where it was, and to be hardened.
- yardstick 2mo ago
  London has lots of datacentres in Slough (near Heathrow) and Docklands (London City Airport, but also many LHR planes transit over). AWS/Azure/GCP/etc Colo in Equinix/Telehouse datacentres there, and those Docklands locations in particular were picked based on location to LINX (major London peering/interchange), and LINX was put in Docklands out of desire for relatively proximity to telcos, and London’s banking/finance industry.
  - throwaway2037 2mo ago
    Were those obviously hardened to withstand the impact of an jet aeroplane? I doubt it.
    - yardstick 2mo ago
      No idea, just answering the “Why not pick a location not within a "major airport flight path"? It seems much cheaper.” question.
    - yardstick 2mo ago
      Semi-related, there are some very cool converted datacentres in the UK. The Bunker operates an underground datacentre out of a former military installation. Radar base if memory serves me. That’s definitely hardened from airplane attacks and I believe is used by some hyperscalers. https://thebunker.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Bunker-Ash-Data-Centre-Data-Sheet.pdf https://thebunker.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/The-Bunker-...

Melatonic 2mo ago

What's hosted at BAH54?

chews 2mo ago
The 8200 used Microsoft datacenters in Netherlands and Ireland and got cut off.... maybe they switched providers

vasco 2mo ago

It's sad but also interesting that in someone's disaster recovery plan now they need to add a line item about analyzing which datacenters are behind air defenses.

dhx 2mo ago

Update: IRGC published satellite imagery a few hours ago showing an impact to BAH54, apparently impacted on 2026-07-24, alongside another undated image before the impact. From a quick comparison of both images with reliable satellite imagery sources (e.g. WV02 image dated 2025-02-21 on ESRI World Imagery Wayback) there are no obvious signs of image manipulation, with roof features and surrounding buildings/other features lining up as expected. Additionally the claimed post-strike image adds a significant number of vehicles to the site (when there are usually close to none present), which may correspond to fire fighting vehicles expected to be monitoring the site afterwards. Further, Sentinel-2 imagery from 2026-07-24 shows a dark patch (blast damage) on the roof of BAH54 per https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=18&lat=26.05096&lng=50.505&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2FBhOOoTjHdi47xgOyNOyq4ViXctLUx6BML4JV87USLO70FQrVMZRDOuo51lFcquLx3tPp5rpUDqa8XSaoUgeIRvpg4m9LgWrZGgTzZaMYtXZTPIx9J%2BN2C&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-07-24T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-07-24T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=18&lat=26.0509...

dhx 2mo ago

Update 2: Upon checking Sentinel-2 imagery for BAH55 from 2026-03-29 to 2026-04-13 (and all later imagery) there is also visible blast damage to the roof of BAH55, which would correspond in timing to media reports about damage caused about 2026-04-01. Sentinel-2 imagery appears to clarify AWS' claim of "while in Bahrain, a drone strike in close proximity to one of our facilities" to mean a direct impact to the building. However it seems likely from high resolution satellite imagery of BAH55 that the machinery rooms of the building perhaps took most of the damage, perhaps leaving data halls in a better shape elsewhere in the building (but possibly still unusable due to water/smoke damage). [1] https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&lng=50.47834&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2Fw5mHZWOYZDa4YUMn8v1fQpZu%2FcqMDdblbzAPsuzzeQRne1Gcp3ko4msKcSLuPi8gOVU0r3rwuS36wT7J5o%2F458yaeO%2FMVr9PeZgRtdQE3abwl4ylYkZys&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-03-29T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-03-29T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&... [2] https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&lng=50.47834&themeId=MONITORING&visualizationUrl=U2FsdGVkX1%2Bt1jX5zan9wgSCbM8pXIuFa%2BWHURYdjsMsT%2FA%2ByEgIJdPvJTXH0crwk9Po%2FhJhxW7eMId2aKEg6WtB8mqTf5dtNTCps6bkRGkCsziUVIP8Ci8MPxGaJCYN&datasetId=S2_L2A_CDAS&fromTime=2026-04-13T00%3A00%3A00.000Z&toTime=2026-04-13T23%3A59%3A59.999Z&layerId=1_TRUE_COLOR&demSource3D=%22MAPZEN%22&cloudCoverage=30&dateMode=SINGLE https://browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu/?zoom=17&lat=26.156&...