Standards in the Age of AI: The TIA-942 Story
In this episode, we sit down with Tom McGarry, VP of Standards at the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), to explore the ANSI/TIA-942 standard—the Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers.Tom walks us through what the standard actually covers: the minimum requirements for data center design, construction, and operation across telecommunications, power, physical security, and mechanical infrastructure. He explains the four resilience ratings that classify data centers by their level of redundancy and fault tolerance, and why those ratings matter to the people relying on these facilities.A major focus of the conversation is TIA's certification program. Tom describes how independent verification bodies conduct certification, what motivates data center operators to pursue it, and how the process works in practice. We dig into the downstream effects too: how certification builds trust with end customers and gives regulators confidence in a facility's reliability and security.The discussion then turns to the future. With AI driving unprecedented demand and reshaping data center requirements, Tom shares how the standard has evolved—including the recent revision C, updated to address AI workloads—and what new considerations the standards body is exploring for upcoming versions.Finally, Tom makes a call to action: he outlines the support the ANSI/TIA-942 standards body needs to keep pace with rapid technological change, and how individuals can get involved and contribute to shaping the standards that underpin the world's data infrastructure.To learn more visit tifonline.org
