Understanding TIA-942: A Q&A with Tom McGarry

Adapted from a podcast produced by the Telecommunications Industry Foundation (TIF).

As data centers evolve rapidly, driven in large part by AI—industry standards play a critical role in ensuring reliability, scalability, and trust. In this Q&A, Michelle Kang, TIF Chair and newly appointed TIA Board Member, speaks with Tom McGarry, VP of Standards at the TIA, about the evolution of the TIA-942 data center infrastructure standard, its certification approach, and what’s next for the industry.

Q: Can you share your background and how you came to work on TIA-942?

Tom McGarry:
My career has largely been in telecommunications. I spent many years at Verizon, primarily in the mobile group during the early, fast-moving days of the industry. I also worked at Neustar, where I gained significant experience supporting telecom providers and working closely with data centers.

About five years ago, I joined TIA. While I had long participated in standards development from the industry side, this role marked my first experience leading a standards development organization. It has been both rewarding and insightful to help guide the development of standards that impact such a critical part of digital infrastructure.

Q: How would you describe the different types of data centers today—and where TIA-942 fits within that landscape?

Tom McGarry:
Until recently, we typically described two main types of data centers: traditional facilities, including colocation and hyperscale data centers, and edge or modular data centers located closer to end users.

However, AI has introduced a distinct third category—AI-focused data centers—which have fundamentally different requirements.

The TIA-942 standard is designed to address general data center infrastructure and includes specific guidance for edge and modular facilities. Now, we are expanding our work to address the unique characteristics of AI-driven environments.

Q: TIA-942 has been around for more than two decades. What has driven its adoption and longevity?

Tom McGarry:
TIA-942 was first published in 2005, though development began earlier. It emerged during the initial wave of large-scale data center growth, when the industry recognized the need for a standardized approach to design and reliability.

One of its defining strengths is that it is an ANSI-accredited, voluntary consensus standard, meaning it is developed through broad industry participation rather than by a single private entity. This transparency and inclusivity have contributed significantly to its credibility and adoption.

At its core, the standard addresses two key objectives:

• How to design and build data centers
• How to maintain high availability, even during planned or unplanned disruptions

Q: The TIA-942 rating system is widely referenced. Can you walk through the four levels and why they matter?

Tom McGarry:
The standard defines four levels of reliability:

• Level 1: Basic infrastructure with minimal redundancy—similar to a standard IT or telecom room.
• Level 2: Adds some redundancy at the component level, offering limited protection during planned maintenance or minor outages.
• Level 3: Introduces concurrent maintainability, meaning the data center can undergo maintenance without affecting operations, thanks to redundant systems and multiple distribution paths.
• Level 4: Provides full fault tolerance, with complete redundancy and the ability to withstand unplanned failures without service interruption.

Most modern data center operators aim for Level 3 or Level 4, as these levels align with the high availability expectations of enterprise and hyperscale customers.

Q: TIA also offers a certification program. What motivates operators to pursue certification, and how does the process work?

Tom McGarry:
Certification provides independent validation that a data center meets the requirements of a specific TIA-942 rating level. This is particularly valuable for operators seeking to demonstrate reliability and transparency to customers and regulators.

TIA works with independent certification bodies around the world. These organizations are strictly limited to certification activities—they are not permitted to provide consulting services to the facilities they certify, ensuring impartiality.

We currently have eight (8) certified bodies globally, and TIA audits them annually to maintain consistency and credibility. Over time, the program has expanded significantly, with over 1,000 certification activities conducted across more than 800 data centers in over 60 countries.

Certification has also become important in certain regulatory environments. For example, some governments require third-party certification for data centers handling public sector workloads.

Q: AI is transforming infrastructure requirements. How is TIA-942 evolving to address this shift?

Tom McGarry:
We recently approved the development of an AI-focused addendum to the current TIA-942 standard. This initiative reflects the significant changes driven by high-density computing environments.

AI workloads rely heavily on GPUs, which demand substantially more power and generate far greater heat than traditional CPU-based systems. This has several implications:

• Increased power density at the rack level
• Greater reliance on advanced cooling techniques, including liquid cooling
• More complex and dense cabling requirements
• Structural considerations due to heavier equipment loads

These changes are impacting how facilities are designed and operated. One of the key challenges is maintaining the same levels of redundancy and availability under these new conditions. The addendum will provide guidance on how to achieve that.

Q: What kind of industry participation is TIA looking for as it advances this work?

Tom McGarry:
Given the technical complexity, we are actively encouraging participation from organizations involved in:

• Power systems
• Cooling technologies, particularly liquid cooling
• Data center operations

Broad industry engagement is essential to ensure the standard reflects real-world requirements and best practices.

In addition, TIA is collaborating across its technical and quality programs. Our quality standards group is also advancing work related to operational excellence in data centers, building on frameworks similar to ISO 9001 but tailored to telecom and digital infrastructure environments. This includes the development of DCE 9000, a quality management system designed specifically for data center operators and their supply chains. DCE 9000 complements TIA-942 by focusing on process consistency, risk management, and continuous improvement, helping organizations strengthen operational resilience alongside infrastructure performance.

Organizations looking to help advance data center standards and best practices can engage through TIA membership or participate in the TR-42 committee, which oversees  TIA-942.

To get involved or learn more contact membership@tiaonline.org