Data centres have emerged as critical infrastructure in modern warfare, with strikes in Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle East demonstrating their vulnerability. These facilities, which house the servers and data that underpin digital economies, are now prime military targets that can cripple a nation's economy and essential services.
In recent weeks, Russia has targeted data centres in Kyiv, while Ukrainian drones have struck multiple facilities inside Russia, aiming to disrupt revenue streams that fund Moscow's war effort. These attacks highlight a new reality: data centres are on the front line.
Mehdi Paryavi, an adviser to the United Nations and founder of the International Data Center Authority (IDCA) think tank, argues that Europe must take heed. "When you hit enough important targets, you can take down the entire economy," he told Euronews Next. As societies become increasingly digitised, disabling a data centre can mean "paralysing the functions of military, healthcare and finance."
The implications for artificial intelligence are profound. AI systems require massive amounts of computing power and energy, making data centres indispensable. In Ukraine, AI is already used for drone targeting and other military applications, underscoring the strategic importance of these facilities.
Paryavi suggests that traditional advice—choosing sites carefully and keeping locations discreet—may no longer suffice. "Maybe you need iron domes, maybe you need to build them underground, or you need to build bunkers," he said, declining to provide specifics for national security reasons. "The days that you would just build data centres in random locations are over."
A European hub under threat
When asked whether the strikes would prompt European governments to reconsider their plans for AI gigafactories, Paryavi responded unequivocally: "100%." The European Commission has launched a tender to establish up to seven AI gigafactories across the continent, with the call closing on November 12. However, a spokesperson declined to comment on whether the targeting of data centres in warfare would alter these plans.
The economic stakes are immense. Data centres can cost up to $25 billion each and take three years to build. "Europe cannot afford to finance hundreds of billions of dollars of assets and then somebody takes them out," Paryavi warned. "I project that the whole thing [the building of data centres] has to slow down."
He urged European states to act collectively, arguing that no single country can address the security risks alone. Combined with global energy shortfalls and a lack of trained workers, the challenge is formidable. Rather than scattering data centres across the continent, Paryavi advises concentrating them in protected zones, potentially shielded by defensive systems like an iron dome.
The debate comes as European leaders grapple with broader security and energy concerns, including budget deadlocks and support for Ukraine. The recent Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centres have already shown how such attacks can disrupt digital services, and the lessons are not lost on policymakers.
As Europe races to build AI capacity, the question of where and how to build these facilities has become a matter of national security. The continent must balance ambition with prudence, ensuring that its digital future is not built on vulnerable foundations.
