{"689832":{"#nid":"689832","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Why Iran Targeted Amazon Data Centers and What That Does \u2013 and Doesn\u2019t \u2013 Change About\u00a0Warfare","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022theconversation-article-body\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore dawn on March 1, 2026, Iranian Shahed drones \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/mar\/07\/it-means-missile-defence-on-data-centres-drone-strikes-raises-doubts-over-gulf-as-ai-superpower\u0022\u003Estruck two Amazon Web Services data centers\u003C\/a\u003E in the United Arab Emirates. A third commercial data center in Bahrain \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/03\/04\/amazon-bahrain-data-centers-targeted-iran-drone-strike.html\u0022\u003Ewas hit\u003C\/a\u003E, though it is less clear whether it was deliberately targeted. This is the first time that a country has deliberately targeted commercial data centers during wartime.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIran state media issued a statement on March 31 that it will \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wired.me\/story\/war-on-big-tech-iran-names-israeli-linked-us-firms-as-potential-targets\u0022\u003Etarget American companies\u003C\/a\u003E, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Meta, Oracle, Intel, HP, IBM, Cisco, Dell, Palantir and Nvidia. The Financial Times reported that an additional Iranian drone \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/amazons-cloud-business-bahrain-damaged-iran-strike-ft-reports-2026-04-01\/\u0022\u003Estruck an Amazon data center\u003C\/a\u003E in Bahrain on April 1. And Iranian state media claimed that Iranian forces \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/middle-east\/iran-news\/article-891951\u0022\u003Eattacked an Oracle data center\u003C\/a\u003E in Dubai on April 2.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIran has also been on the receiving end of such attacks. A data center in Tehran operated by Iran\u2019s state-run Bank Sepah was \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/middle-east\/iran-news\/article-889604\u0022\u003Estruck by a missile\u003C\/a\u003E \u2013 apparently fired by U.S. or Israeli forces \u2013 on March 11, according to a report in The Jerusalem Post.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EData centers have been targets of espionage and cyberattacks in the past, notably when Ukrainian hackers \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/kyivindependent.com\/sources-ukrainian-hackers-destroy-data-center-used-by-russian-military-industry\/\u0022\u003Edestroyed data stored in a Russian military-affiliated data center\u003C\/a\u003E in 2024. These strikes in the Persian Gulf region, however, were physical attacks. Drones damaged buildings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAdvances in artificial intelligence have increased the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.techtimes.com\/articles\/315268\/20260321\/why-big-tech-pouring-billions-ai-data-centers-reinventing-tech-infrastructure.htm\u0022\u003Eimportance of data centers\u003C\/a\u003E. The U.S. military, in particular, has made great use of AI systems \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us-military-leans-into-ai-for-attack-on-iran-but-the-tech-doesnt-lessen-the-need-for-human-judgment-in-war-277831\u0022\u003Efor decision support\u003C\/a\u003E in its attacks on Iran and Venezuela. Given how important data centers are, Iranian forces could be targeting the infrastructure Iran\u2019s leaders believe is supporting strikes on Iran.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is not altogether clear that these particular data centers were used by the U.S. military. Instead, the attacks may have been part of a broader effort to punish the United Arab Emirates for its ties with the U.S.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn my experience as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en\u0026amp;user=MOsQPM0AAAAJ\u0026amp;view_op=list_works\u0026amp;sortby=pubdate\u0022\u003Ea Ph.D. candidate\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech studying how technology drives changes in international security, I don\u2019t think the attacks signal any significant change in the nature of warfare. But they are forcing nations to recognize that data centers are targets of war \u2013 even if they don\u2019t directly support military operations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EData Centers and the Cloud\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe United States military is increasingly incorporating advanced AI capabilities \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/us-military-leans-into-ai-for-attack-on-iran-but-the-tech-doesnt-lessen-the-need-for-human-judgment-in-war-277831\u0022\u003Einto its decision support systems\u003C\/a\u003E. From the operation to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/pentagon-used-anthropics-claude-in-maduro-venezuela-raid-583aff17\u0022\u003Ecapture Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u003C\/a\u003E to supporting \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.axios.com\/newsletters\/axios-am-f0954cb2-2f31-4426-87fd-050095005344.html\u0022\u003Emilitary strikes against Iran\u003C\/a\u003E, the U.S. has been using AI, especially Anthropic\u2019s Claude, for intelligence analysis and operational support.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAI is unlocking faster ways to carry out operations in war, but the AI tools the military often uses are not located on a plane or ship. When a service member uses Claude, the computing infrastructure that powers the model and its analysis usually goes to a secure Amazon Web Services cloud that \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/aws.amazon.com\/federal\/top-secret-cloud\/\u0022\u003Ehosts secret government data\u003C\/a\u003E and software tools.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\u0022440\u0022 height=\u0022260\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3Yh9OddmgS0?wmode=transparent\u0026amp;start=0\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EThe basics of data centers explained.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommercial data centers are where the cloud lives. The next time you pull up Netflix and watch your favorite shows, you are likely streaming the programming from a data center, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2022\/09\/07\/netflix-costs\u0022\u003Epossibly AWS\u003C\/a\u003E. When AWS data centers go down, outages \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/amazon-web-services-outage-websites-offline-rcna238594\u0022\u003Eaffect all sorts of entertainment, news and government functions\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith AI as a driver of economic growth, data centers are key forms of infrastructure. They ensure that AI can continue to run, as well as much of the underlying internet that governments and industry rely on. When Iran attacked the UAE\u2019s data centers, it caused widespread disruption to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.tomshardware.com\/tech-industry\/drone-strikes-hit-three-aws-data-centers-in-the-uae-and-bahrain\u0022\u003Elocal banking system\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommercial data centers enable most of the technology that runs the modern world, including AI systems. Disrupting them is key to disrupting a country\u2019s military and society. Given that AWS provides and operates many of the commercial data centers where the cloud lives, it is likely that its data centers will continue to be targeted in conflict.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGoing After US Allies\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearchers at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.justsecurity.org\/133685\/iranian-attacks-amazon-data-centers-legal-analysis\/\u0022\u003EJust Security noted\u003C\/a\u003E on March 12, 2026, that the United States requires cloud-computing service providers to store government and military data \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.acquisition.gov\/dfars\/239.7602-2-required-storage-data-within-united-states-or-outlying-areas.\u0022\u003Ewithin the U.S. or on Department of Defense bases\u003C\/a\u003E: \u201cMoving such data to Amazon data centers in the Gulf region would require special authorization; we are unaware if that has been granted.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the strikes were against data centers supporting \u201cthe enemy\u2019s\u201d military and intelligence activities. And 10 days after the initial attack on the data centers, an Iranian news agency claimed that major tech company data centers and other physical assets in the region were considered \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2026\/03\/12\/enemy-technology-infrastructure-iran-threatens-amazon-google-and-microsoft-assets-in-middl\u0022\u003Eenemy technology infrastructure\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInstead of military reasons, Iran may well have targeted the UAE to \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/03\/15\/iran-us-war-uae-target-aggression.html\u0022\u003Erattle the global economy and garner attention\u003C\/a\u003E. Given the prominence of the Gulf as a major recipient of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/thehill.com\/business\/5783723-us-war-iran-middle-east-ai\/\u0022\u003EU.S. technological investment\u003C\/a\u003E, the attack may also have been a symbolic one aimed at the heart of U.S.-Gulf cooperation. AI infrastructure such as commercial data centers is a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/warontherocks.com\/2025\/10\/silicon-statecraft-how-u-s-gulf-ai-deals-project-power\/\u0022\u003Egrowing part of U.S. leadership in the region\u003C\/a\u003E, and this war could jeopardize the future of AI infrastructure in the Gulf.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure class=\u0022align-center zoomable\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=1000\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg alt=\u0022men wearingwhite robes and headdresses stand over a model of an industrial park\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;fit=clip\u0022 srcset=\u0022https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=400\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=1 600w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=30\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=400\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=2 1200w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=15\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=600\u0026amp;h=400\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=3 1800w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=45\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=503\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=1 754w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=30\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=503\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=2 1508w, https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/727486\/original\/file-20260331-63-1g9hbt.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0\u0026amp;q=15\u0026amp;auto=format\u0026amp;w=754\u0026amp;h=503\u0026amp;fit=crop\u0026amp;dpr=3 2262w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003EThis model shows a massive data center, part of the Stargate project involving U.S. tech companies, currently under construction in the United Arab Emirates.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Ca class=\u0022source\u0022 href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/guests-look-at-a-model-of-the-largest-data-center-in-the-news-photo\/2244357858\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022attribution\u0022\u003EGiuseppe CACACE\/AFP via Getty Images\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EGrowing Importance, Easy Targets\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough data centers are increasingly important for national security, the economy and society at large, it can be tempting to suggest these strikes represent a fundamental shift in the nature of war. While that is a possibility, it is important to remember that Iran launched thousands of missiles and drones at targets in the UAE and Bahrain. Though the vast majority were intercepted, the four that struck data centers are a small portion of the ones that got through to civilian targets in those countries, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2026\/03\/01\/iranian-strikes-hit-dubai-and-abu-dhabi-damaging-airport-terminals-and-the-burj-al-arab\u0022\u003Eincluding strikes on airports and hotels\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe relative vulnerability of commercial data centers \u2013 they are large, relatively fragile and lack dedicated air defenses \u2013 suggests that the ones in the UAE and Bahrain may have been targets of opportunity or convenience. In other words, they were hit because they could be hit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENevertheless, it seems likely that as the use of AI tools and other cloud-based resources continues to grow in importance for countries around the world, commercial data centers will be targets in future conflicts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article has been updated to include news of Iran\u2019s statement about targeting U.S. tech companies and subsequent drone strikes on other data centers.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --\u003E\u003Cimg style=\u0022border-color:!important;border-style:none;box-shadow:none !important;margin:0 !important;max-height:1px !important;max-width:1px !important;min-height:1px !important;min-width:1px !important;opacity:0 !important;outline:none !important;padding:0 !important;\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/278642\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\u0022 alt=\u0022The Conversation\u0022 width=\u00221\u0022 height=\u00221\u0022 referrerpolicy=\u0022no-referrer-when-downgrade\u0022\u003E\u003C!-- End of code. If you don\u0027t see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-iran-targeted-amazon-data-centers-and-what-that-does-and-doesnt-change-about-warfare-278642\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAttacks are forcing nations to recognize that data centers are targets of war \u2013 even if they don\u2019t directly support military operations.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Attacks are forcing nations to recognize that data centers are targets of war \u2013 even if they don\u2019t directly support military operations."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2026-04-01 15:49:40","changed_gmt":"2026-04-17 16:14:54","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-04-01T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-04-01T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679990":{"id":"679990","type":"image","title":"Smoke rises in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026, after Iranian drone strikes around the city, including on data centers. Ryan Lim\/AFP via Getty Images","body":"\u003Cp\u003ESmoke rises in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026, after Iranian drone strikes around the city, including on data centers. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/news-photo\/plume-of-smoke-rises-from-the-zayed-port-following-a-news-photo\/2263708545\u0022\u003ERyan Lim\/AFP via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1776441044","gmt_created":"2026-04-17 15:50:44","changed":"1776441044","gmt_changed":"2026-04-17 15:50:44","alt":"Smoke rises in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026, after Iranian drone strikes around the city, including on data centers. Ryan Lim\/AFP via Getty Images","file":{"fid":"264220","name":"file-20260331-77-tscakw.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/17\/file-20260331-77-tscakw.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/17\/file-20260331-77-tscakw.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":303736,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/17\/file-20260331-77-tscakw.jpg?itok=9K17Zwpq"}}},"media_ids":["679990"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-iran-targeted-amazon-data-centers-and-what-that-does-and-doesnt-change-about-warfare-278642","title":"Read This Article on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1285","name":"Sam Nunn School of International Affairs"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"194974","name":"go-theconversation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71901","name":"Society and Culture"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/dennis-murphy-2626011\u0022\u003EDennis Murphy\u003C\/a\u003E, Ph.D. student of International Affairs, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/georgia-institute-of-technology-1310\u0022\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}