Russia to Require Commercial Data Centers to Reserve 10% Capacity
A presidential decree would force Russian commercial data centers to hold 10% of capacity in reserve and free it within 24 hours on request, sources in the IT industry say.
SUMO· the number puzzle
Dialo· learn languages by speaking
ediviewer· read EDI files like documents
giftdetect· the right gift in minutesRussia's Ministry of Digital Development is preparing to implement a presidential decree that would require owners of commercial data centers to keep 10% of their space and capacity in reserve, according to industry sources. When the authorities issue a request, the operator would have 24 hours to free up the racks "to support the operation of information resources" in the country.
Who is covered
The requirement would apply to commercial data centers regardless of ownership, including those run by state corporations if they sell services under contracts. Facilities used only for a company's own needs, such as banks' data centers, would be exempt. If a site serves both internal systems and outside clients, the 10% would be calculated from the total volume of resources.
Data centers that were damaged in attacks would not fall under the decree. In October 2026, drones attacked three Yandex data centers as well as facilities belonging to VK and Sber.
Operators could build the reserve across all of their sites or across a holding, choosing where to provide the resources.
How it would work
The ministry reportedly advised operators not to sign new contracts for free space that might be needed for the reserve, or to include a clause requiring release within 24 hours. Operators with no spare capacity were allegedly told to identify priority clients in advance, so they know whom to disconnect if necessary.
The fee has not been set. Sources say only capacity actually requested would be paid for, at tariffs set by a subcommission. The measure was described at the meeting as temporary, with no timeframe given. The reserve could be used for services on so-called whitelists.
The ministry is also said to be drafting a document that would classify operators' release of resources as force majeure. Failure to comply could become grounds for introducing temporary management of a company, the sources claim.
The ministry said the implementing measures are "under development". A special subcommission is expected to be created soon, and all requirements will be shaped together with experts and market participants.
Apps worth a look
SUMO: the number puzzleTap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.
Dialo: learn languages by speakingTalk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.
ediviewer: read EDI files like documentsOpen EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.
giftdetect: the right gift in minutesPick who it is for, the occasion and their personality. The search engine reads product descriptions from local shops and ranks what fits. Free, no sign-up.
More from this day
See all →
Russian Software Registry: How to Change the Rights Holder
Beget Calls Suspension of .ru, .su and .рф Accreditation Technical
Solana weighs removing feature exploited in $270m DeFi hack
