Data Centers as Strategic Military Targets: Experts Warn of Growing Physical and Cyber Threats
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Summary
The article discusses how data centers are becoming strategic military targets in modern conflicts, particularly as AI becomes critical to both civilian and military applications. Experts warn that attacks on commercial data centers can have immediate military consequences due to their dual-use nature. The piece cites research on 'globally critical infrastructure' like data centers and subsea cables that can serve as 'choke points' for adversaries seeking to disrupt operations. Iranian drone attacks on Amazon's Gulf data centers are presented as an example of emerging tactics in future conflicts.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThat dual-use reality means that attacks on commercial data centers can have immediate military consequences—and vice versa.
"If data centers become critical hubs for transiting military information, we can expect them to be increasingly targeted by both cyber and physical attacks," Zachary Kallenborn, a PhD researcher at King's College London, told Fortune.
Kallenborn recently coauthored a study in the journal Risk Analysis on 'globally critical infrastructure'—including data centers and subsea cables—that can be important 'choke points' for adversaries seeking to disrupt either ci
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