Experts warn hackers could shut down entire power grids by hijacking cloud accounts

Date:
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:05:00 +0000

Description:
AI training can create spikes in energy consumption, and these can cause all sorts of harm to a power grid.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Zhejiang University researchers warned GPU workloads could destabilize local grids and cause blackouts Attackers could exploit ~1,000 GPUs to drain current and generate excess heat in systems Theoretical attack dubbed Bit2Watt; mitigations include detecting malicious patterns and energy buffering systems Whenever an AI data center thinks really, really hard, it can increase its power consumption so much to trigger disruptions and possibly even blackouts and gear malfunctions. So, is it possible for a malicious actor to trigger this scenario deliberately, in order to cause physical harm?

Multiple researchers from the Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, wrote a research paper titled Bit2Watt: A Cyber-Physical Vulnerability Exploiting GPU Workloads Across Power and Computing Infrastructures. In it, they claim that
a malicious cloud tenant is, in theory, capable of launching GPU workloads so intensive that they cause physical damage. Latest Videos From Watch full
video here: Suggesting mitigations "Our results indicate that GPU loads can reach modulation frequencies exceeding 6,000 Hz, compared with only a few hertz observed in conventional household loads such as air conditioners," the team wrote in its research paper.

"Such high-frequency modulations can substantially induce voltage excursions, harmonic distortion, and damping degradation." You may like Hackers target data center equipment, including critical power devices AI data centers are draining more power than the grid can provide Report claims power demands may halt AI data center advances soon

An attacker could use around 1,000 GPUs to target a one-megawatt local power grid consisting primarily of distributed energy sources (such as solar panels), making it lose almost half of the electrical current, while generating around 20% more heat than usual.

"This not only threatens the availability of the computing equipment but also produces a negative damping ratio of -0.27, introducing an unstable mode into the system," the paper adds. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Once the protections are triggered and computing loads are shed, it can trigger cascading failures, potentially leading to blackouts exceeding 80 percent in large-scale power systems."

AI data centers creating huge energy consumption swings is no news, and its a challenge some of the brightest minds of today are trying to solve.

Luckily, the attack is (still) purely theoretical, and the researchers published the paper to warn about potential misuse. They also suggested mitigations - defenders could look for malicious computational patterns,
while operators should create energy buffering systems for unusual spikes in demand.

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