Following Iran's retaliatory attacks on the infrastructure of Gulf countries, the United Arab Emirates has decided to reconsider the design of its massive artificial intelligence data center project. This project is one of the largest data centers outside the United States, and it seems that the UAE is taking steps to tighten its infrastructure and safeguard vital information security.
Distribution of Data Centers Nationwide
According to informed sources, UAE officials are reassessing the location and construction methods of their sensitive centers. The initial plan to build a 26-square-kilometer center in Abu Dhabi has now been changed to several distributed data centers across the country. These changes come in response to increasing security threats and missile and drone attacks from Iran on regional countries.
Increased Security Measures
Officials are also exploring ways to protect these centers from attacks. These measures include the installation of air defense systems and the construction of some centers underground. Sources have also mentioned equipping the centers with missile defense systems and jamming equipment. Other planned measures include the use of blast-resistant concrete and additional backup systems for energy and cooling. Some sensitive information, including military data, may be stored in secure locations such as mountains.
Iran's attacks on Gulf countries, which host American forces, have begun as a response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian soil. In March, two Amazon Web Services data centers in the UAE and one in Bahrain were damaged, disrupting the company's cloud services in the region. In April, Iranian armed forces released a video identifying "Emirates Stargate," the first phase of a $30 billion project with a capacity of one gigawatt, as a potential target for retaliatory attacks.
According to Daniel Benaim, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Peninsula Affairs, this war represents an "economic earthquake" for Gulf countries that have long sought to present themselves as safe havens. He emphasized that strengthening critical infrastructure now seems more vital than ever.
