Data centres in Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East have emerged as significant targets in ongoing conflicts, impacting national economies and critical public services like banking and healthcare. Recently, these facilities have faced military strikes from both sides; Russia launched attacks on data centres in Kyiv while Ukrainian drones targeted multiple data centres in Russia, actions described by Ukrainian officials as attempts to disrupt revenue streams for Moscow’s war efforts.
Mehdi Paryavi, an adviser to the United Nations and founder of the International Data Center Authority, stated that the military targeting of data centres signals a need for Europe to reassess how it develops its artificial intelligence infrastructure. He emphasized that damaging critical data infrastructure can effectively cripple essential functions across military, healthcare, and financial sectors.
Data centres, which house servers and store data, play a vital role in the function of AI technology by providing the substantial energy required. Paryavi highlighted the increasing importance of these facilities in warfare contexts, underscoring Ukraine’s reliance on AI for drone targeting and other military operations. He argued that the industry’s traditional guidelines for selecting discreet locations for data centres may no longer suffice in this changed landscape of conflict.
“Maybe you need iron domes, maybe you need to build them underground, or you need to build bunkers,” Paryavi suggested, emphasizing that nations must reconsider their strategies for data centre construction. He mentioned that simplistic location choices could no longer be assumed safe.
A European hub
In response to whether recent strikes would impact the European Union’s plans for AI gigafactories, a type of advanced data centre, Paryavi asserted that significant reconsideration is likely. The European Commission recently announced a tender to establish up to seven AI gigafactories across Europe, with proposals due by November 12.
While the Commission did not comment on whether the military targeting of data centres would influence its plans, Paryavi noted that the economic ramifications of such attacks could be devastating—data centres can cost up to $25 billion each and take three years to build. He warned, “Europe cannot afford to finance hundreds of billions of dollars of assets and then somebody takes them out,” predicting a slowdown in data centre construction.
Paryavi stressed that collaborative efforts among European states will be essential in addressing the security risks and challenges related to global energy shortages and workforce training. He recommended concentrating data centres in specific areas to enhance their protection, advocating that developing secured digital hubs is vital for national security and technological advancement.
