Authors

• Zhouhao Ji Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
• Kaikai Pan Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
• Wenyuan Xu Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

DOI:

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Abstract

Modern data centers increasingly rely on large-scale GPU clusters and on-site renewable energy resources, resulting in a tightly coupled cyber–physical system between computing workloads and power-electronic-dominated grids. In this paper, we reveal Bit2Watt, a previously unexplored vulnerability in which an adversary manipulates GPU workloads to induce controlled, high-frequency power modulations that destabilize local power infrastructure and propagate back to disrupt computing services. Unlike traditional attacks that compromise grid-side devices or communication channels, Bit2Watt operates entirely within the cyber layer as a legal tenant, which could amplify fluctuations, harmonic distortion, and damping degradation, particularly in high-DER-penetration scenarios. This risk is difficult to detect under routine cloud- and facility-side monitoring because Bit2Watt exploits legitimate workload execution paths and concentrates much of its distinctive behavior in high-frequency components that are weakly captured by common telemetry. We validate Bit2Watt through impedance-based analysis, power system simulations, and real-world experiments on GPUs and grid-connected PV inverters. Under the synchronized worst-case aggregation model studied in the paper, manipulating 1,000 GPUs in a 1-MW local power system with 90% DERs raises current THD to 46.8% and results in a damping ratio of -0.27. We further show that the resulting power-quality degradation can stress data-center power-delivery equipment, trigger protection mechanisms, and, in extreme simulated cases, induce cascading failures in transmission-scale systems. In addition, we analyze a plausible Watt2Bit feedback path, including denial-of-service risks and covert information exfiltration via EMI side channels. This work exposes a vulnerability at the intersection of modern computing and renewable-integrated power systems, highlighting the urgent need for cross-layer defenses that jointly consider workload scheduling and power electronics.