Poland is one of Central Europe’s fastest-growing data-center hubs. Large colocation providers, cloud platforms, and enterprise facilities are expanding capacity, particularly in Warsaw, with emerging activity in Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, and the Upper Silesia region. This surge is driving sustained demand for advanced UPS systems, energy-storage technologies, and high-availability power architectures.

At the same time, organizations operating mission-critical digital infrastructure are increasingly evaluating electromagnetic-pulse (EMP) and intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI) risks. These threats, once considered theoretical, are now recognized as relevant to national security, critical infrastructure resilience, and data-center continuity.

2. Data Center Growth Impact on UPS Demand

Strong demand for large-scale UPS

New builds and expansions require:

• Large three-phase UPS (≥100 kVA and multi-MW installations)

• Modular UPS architecture with scalable power blocks

• High-efficiency designs to reduce energy and cooling loads

• Lithium-ion battery systems for footprint and lifecycle advantages

Drivers of UPS expansion in Poland

• Rapid investment in colocation and cloud facilities

• Increased digitalization across banking, e-commerce, logistics, and government services

• Rising expectations for Tier III/Tier IV style power redundancy

• More hybrid designs combining UPS, battery energy storage, and on-site generation

3. Competitive Landscape

Poland’s UPS market for data centers is dominated by global power-electronics manufacturers supported by strong Polish integrators and service firms. Key procurement trends include:

• Preference for modular, hot-swappable UPS platforms

• Long-term maintenance contracts with fast on-site response

• Integration with energy monitoring platforms, DCIM, and smart battery management

• Vendor selection weighted heavily by efficiency, footprint, and lifecycle cost

4. Why EMP/IEMI Threats Matter for Data Centers

Modern data centers rely on sensitive power-conversion electronics, communication systems, servers, and automated control equipment. EMP and IEMI threats can:

• Induce high-energy transients that damage UPS power modules, rectifiers, inverters, or control boards

• Disrupt servers, network equipment, and BMS systems

• Cause malfunctions in monitoring and automation systems

• Trigger widespread outages by damaging grid-side components, transformers, or substations

An EMP-resilient UPS system is not sufficient by itself; the entire electrical architecture must be hardened.

5. Technical Implications for UPS and Power Architecture

UPS Topology

• Online double-conversion UPS provides the strongest electrical isolation and immunity.

• Modular UPS allows better fault tolerance — essential in EMP scenarios where modules may fail independently.

Battery Systems

• Lithium-ion batteries are rising in use due to density and longevity, but require robust BMS protection against electromagnetic interference.

• VRLA batteries remain common, but may need additional environmental and surge protections.

Electrical Infrastructure

• A coordinated surge-protection strategy is essential:

  • Primary (entrance) surge devices

  • Secondary (distribution-level) protection

  • Final-stage protection at racks and equipment

• EMI/RFI filters protect against conducted interference.

• Shielded cables and grounded trays reduce induced currents.

6. EMP Resilience Strategy for Polish Data Centers

1. Multi-Layer Surge and Transient Protection

Implement a tiered approach:

• Type 1 protection at service entrance

• Type 2 protection in main and sub-distribution boards

• Type 3 protection at critical IT equipment

2. Shielding and Room Hardening

For high-value or government-related facilities:

• Partial or full Faraday-style shielding of power rooms and critical suites

• Shielded cable entrances, ducts, and penetrations

• Use of EMP-rated filters on power and communication lines

3. Grounding, Bonding, and Cable Management

• A well-bonded grounding grid reduces common-mode voltages

• Separation of redundant power paths limits common-mode failures

• Avoid long parallel cable runs that can act as EMP antennas

4. Redundancy and Physical Separation

• Separate UPS A-B power chains physically and electrically

• Use independent grounding points and isolated routes for redundant circuits

• Modular UPS enables partial operation even if several components fail

5. Operational Preparedness

• Maintain critical spares for UPS modules, control boards, and SPDs

• Include EMP/IEMI scenarios in drills and business continuity plans

• Perform periodic inspection of surge-protection components and grounding integrity

7. Opportunities for Suppliers & Integrators in Poland

Growing awareness of EMP risk — especially among data-center operators, financial institutions, and government-aligned infrastructure operators — is creating new market opportunities:

• Turnkey power resilience engineering
  UPS + SPDs + filtering + grounding + shielding

• EMP/IEMI audits and risk assessments
  Specialized consulting for high-security sites

• Li-ion battery retrofits and hybrid power systems
  Combining UPS with energy-storage for load management

• Maintenance and rapid-response service contracts
  Offering module-level replacements and 24/7 on-call engineers

Integrators that can combine traditional UPS expertise with EMP-scale resilience engineering will gain a strong competitive advantage.