Target locked – are AI data centers the next front in global conflict?

As artificial intelligence reshapes global power dynamics, a chilling question is emerging: will physical attacks on data centers – like bombings – become part of the digital arms race?

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently speculated in his TED Talk “The AI revolution is underhyped” by roleplaying as a rogue AI developer caught in an arms race.

“What’s my next choice? Bomb your data center?” Schmidt bluntly asked.

That might sound extreme, but as matters ramp up geopolitically, especially between the US and China – anything is possible in an increasingly chaotic AI race.

War games go physical

The AI race is currently underpinning everything from search engines, to drone warfare, and therefore requires huge data centers to help power the revolution.

In the TED Talk, Schmidt floated the idea of putting these data centers in space to help protect them from bombing. But what if a rival nation wanted to disable key AI facilities?

We enlisted the help of a specialist to help give some insight. Ted Theisen is an ex-FBI and former White House cyber lead, currently serving as Managing Director in FTI Consulting's Cybersecurity practice.

“It is highly likely that data centers will become targets of physical attacks in the next five years,” Theisen predicted.

Such attacks may be orchestrated on the down-low, in order to avoid open conflict – for example, arson, sabotage, or disguised accidents – perhaps the result of an organized inside job.

In this race, slowing down your opponent's progress could become a strategic goal.

Data hubs = danger zones

Centralized, power-hungry data centers are now essential infrastructure, making them prime physical targets.

In his TED Talk, Schmidt mentioned the United States needed around 90 gigawatts of power to support AI’s growth. That’s the equivalent of 90 nuclear power stations, with each one able to produce around 1 gigawatt.

“Targeting data centers that house AI-centric infrastructure increases the impact of any attack,” said Theisen.

The problem is that despite this critical importance, many centers lack hardened physical security.

What happens if one goes dark?

If, by some means, a superpower did manage to dismantle an AI power center, the training of a language learning model – ChatGPT, for example – could be put back by months.

Downtime at a key site could disrupt services from finance to logistics to military AI.

There could also be ripple effects: loss of investor confidence, geopolitical blame games, or cyber escalation.

“A physical attack on major AI data centers would have a devastating impact on AI development. This could delay ongoing LLM training, cripple services relying on AI, and trigger wider national security concerns,” warned Theisen.

Firewalls won’t be enough

What once may have seemed like a sci-fi movie is being talked about in national security circles.

AI has turned data centers into strategic infrastructure, but their physical protections haven’t caught up.

Whether orbit-bound or Earth-secured, future-proofing the data centers with ramped-up cyber and physical security appears to be the answer.

In a race where computing = power, protection might soon be as important as innovation.