EMP Hardening and the Quiet Risk Facing Modern Buildings

Real estate technology update

Author

Franco Faraudo
February 04, 2026

Propmodo Technology

By Franco Faraudo · February 4, 2025

Greetings,

AI might be coming for the legal industry now, too. This week, Anthropic announced a plug-in of its chatbot Claude that is specifically designed for legal work. After the announcement, companies that make software for the legal industry saw sharp drops in stock price as investors worried they would not be able to compete. If Claude is able to automate certain aspects of legal work, it could lead to reductions in staff. Law firms have long been a reliable anchor for office leasing, so a contracting legal industry could have a significant and lasting effect on the office market in the coming years.

This week, we're putting our finger on the pulse — the electromagnetic pulse. As buildings grow increasingly reliant on digital systems, EMP risk is shifting from a niche concern to a genuine resilience issue in real estate. Once primarily the domain of data centers and utilities, EMP hardening is now becoming relevant for office buildings that house sensitive technology, data infrastructure, or mission-critical tenants. Advances in shielding materials and design are making protection more practical, even in commercial settings. While not every building will need EMP resistance, the article makes the case that owners of tech-heavy, future-oriented assets may soon need to factor it into broader strategies for operational continuity and long-term value.

Let’s go!

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Technology

EMP Hardening and the Quiet Risk Facing Modern Buildings

As global infrastructure becomes more digital, electromagnetic pulse threats are gaining attention. Data centers have planned for EMP risk for years. Office buildings may soon follow.

https://propmodo.com/emp-hardening-and-the-quiet-risk-facing-modern-buildings/

Bytes

💰 Cash is for closers
Propy been given a $100 million credit line to help expand its AI-powered transaction closing platform by buying up local title and escrow companies.

👫 Partner in disruption
Phoenix Energy has partnered with Disruptive Technology to provide more sensing capabilities to their energy management platform.

🚕 Baby, you can drive my car
The driverless car company Waymo has announced a $16 billion funding round to help fuel its international expansion.

Overheard

Propmodo Live Webinar

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https://propmodo.com/exploring-the-next-wave-of-security-and-access-control/

More Propmodo Technology

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Generic tools are useful but in order to harness the full potential of AI the real estate industry needs to embrace tech purpose built for its specific needs.

https://propmodo.com/dont-lose-the-last-10-why-custom-ai-in-commercial-real-estate-is-the-competitive-edge/

The Real Math Behind Office-to-Apartment Conversions (And a Free Tool to Run the Numbers)

Propmodo updated the Hamilton Project's 2023 office-to-residential conversion model with 2026 data. Here's what changed—and what it means for conversion viability.

https://propmodo.com/playbook/the-real-math-behind-office-to-apartment-conversions-and-a-free-tool-to-run-the-numbers/

Beyond the AI Bubble: Building Enduring Intelligence for Real Estate

In order to prevent an AI bubble, real estate tech companies are having to prove practical uses of artificial intlligence that can actually work at scale to help opperators save time and money.

https://propmodo.com/beyond-the-ai-bubble-building-enduring-intelligence-for-real-estate/

Data Centers Are Eating Construction Pipelines

A surge in data center development backed by AI and cloud demand is pulling capital and builders away from traditional commercial property types, reshaping the real estate development landscape in 2026.

https://propmodo.com/data-centers-are-eating-construction-pipelines/

The Real Bottleneck in America’s AI Boom Isn’t Chips, It’s Power

AI’s fastest growth is shifting to the power-rich South, straining grids and sparking utility lawsuits as massive GPU clusters reshape America’s data center geography.

https://propmodo.com/the-real-bottleneck-in-americas-ai-boom-isnt-chips-its-power/

Propmodo Technology is edited by Franco Faraudo with contributions from readers like you and the Propmodo team.

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