The standard's appendix defines the initial infrastructure requirements and design guidelines for edge data centers, also known as "micro" data centers.
As the standards committee notes, edge data centers are typically housed in prefabricated buildings and can be remotely monitored and controlled. They are considered critical to the success of next-generation applications that will demand ultra-low latency, such as autonomous vehicles, augmented reality, and telemedicine.

The new appendix, ANSI/TIA-942-B-1 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Edge Data Centers, provides new infrastructure requirements and design guidelines for smaller Edge data centers that are deployed at the edge of networks, which is closer to the end users of applications.

In addition, the TIA Standards Committee TR-42 has officially opened the full TIA-942-B standard for industry updates and revisions for the first time since 2017.
The ANSI/TIA-942-B standard defines design requirements for data center architecture, cabling, ventilation, cooling, power systems, security, monitoring/control, resilience, safety, and management systems.
The TIA stated in a press release that in 2022, "this standard will undergo its first full, open revision, which occurs every five years to ensure the resilience and security of these critical facilities as they evolve."
Alongside the update, the TIA-942-B revision period has been opened, providing industry stakeholders—including data center users, owners, designers, builders, installers, auditors, and others—with the opportunity to help update the standard to support the next generation of data centers.