Data Centers Emerge as Strategic Targets in Global Conflicts

Physical attacks on data centers have become a new battlefield. Early in the Iran‑UAE‑Bahrain conflict, facilities in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran were struck, highlighting a shift from cyber‑only threats to direct kinetic targeting of the infrastructure that underpins modern digital life.

In Russia, drones hit a Wildberries warehouse—dubbed the "Russian Amazon"—causing damage valued at up to €1.1 billion. Insurers and the Russian central bank are handling claims, while the incident underscores how large distribution and AI‑related facilities are vulnerable to real‑world weaponry.

Croatia is moving ahead with a €50 billion AI data‑center project, Pantheon AI, which could consume 20‑30 % of the country’s annual electricity. The initiative illustrates the growing economic importance of such complexes and the parallel security concerns raised by experts like Sem Vinter‑Levi of the Carnegie Endowment and professor Danijel Šif of Purdue University, who warn that attacks on these sites could disrupt communications, finance and supply chains worldwide.