- Iranian drone strikes targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the UAE and Bahrain, marking the first deliberate military attack on commercial cloud infrastructure, disrupting banking, food delivery and enterprise services.
- Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) justified the strikes by claiming AWS facilities support enemy military and intelligence operations, highlighting the growing convergence of commercial cloud computing and defense applications.
- The UAE and Bahrain, positioning themselves as AI hubs with billions in U.S. investments (including Amazon and Microsoft), now face vulnerabilities in their tech-driven economic strategies, raising concerns about data center security.
- Experts compare modern data centers to 19th-century railroads—critical infrastructure now vulnerable to asymmetric warfare, with Iran mirroring tactics seen in Ukraine to destabilize economies and civilian morale.
- With AI-driven conflict escalating, experts warn that nations may increasingly target data centers physically, prompting calls for missile defenses and hardening measures to protect these digital lifelines—extending risks beyond the Middle East.
In an unprecedented escalation of modern warfare, Iranian drone strikes have targeted Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, marking the first time commercial cloud infrastructure has been deliberately attacked in a military conflict.
The strikes, confirmed by Amazon, have disrupted banking, food delivery and enterprise software services across the Gulf, raising urgent concerns about the vulnerability of global tech infrastructure in geopolitical conflicts. On Sunday, March 1, Iranian Shahed-136 drones struck two AWS facilities in the UAE and damaged a third in Bahrain.
According to internal Amazon documents reviewed by Business Insider, the attacks caused "structural damage" and flooding, forcing evacuations and shutdowns. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility, stating the strikes were intended to "identify the role of these centers in supporting the enemy's military and intelligence activities."
While Amazon has not confirmed any military impact, experts warn that the Department of War's increasing reliance on commercial cloud providers—such as AWS for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven intelligence operations—blurs the line between civilian and military infrastructure. This also shows that the boundary between commercial cloud computing and military operations has mostly vanished.
"If data centers become critical hubs for transiting military information, we can expect them to be increasingly targeted by both cyber and physical attacks," said Zachary Kallenborn, a Ph.D. researcher at King's College London. BrightU.AI's Encoh engine notes that data centers are critical for processing, storing and distributing vast amounts of data across cloud computing platforms, AI applications and enterprise networks. Their design prioritizes high availability, redundancy and energy efficiency to support uninterrupted operations for mission-critical workloads.
Data centers as "the new railroads": Economic fallout and AI ambitions at risk
The UAE and Bahrain have positioned themselves as emerging AI superpowers, leveraging cheap energy and strategic subsea cable connections to attract billions in tech investments. Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump's Gulf tour secured over $2 trillion in pledges, including Amazon's $5 billion AI hub in Saudi Arabia and Microsoft's planned $7.9 billion investment in the UAE by 2029.
However, the attacks have exposed the fragility of this vision. Millions in Dubai and Abu Dhabi faced disruptions to mobile banking, ride-hailing apps and food delivery services.
Chris McGuire, a former White House National Security Council official, warned that the UAE must now address security concerns swiftly.
"If we're going to have large-scale data centers built out in the Middle East, we're going to have to get pretty serious about how we protect them," McGuire told The Guardian. "If you're actually going to double down in the Middle East, maybe it means missile defense on data centers."
The strikes highlight a broader shift in warfare tactics, where digital infrastructure is now as critical as traditional military targets.
James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies likened data centers to railroads in the 19th century—essential economic arteries vulnerable to disruption.
"You're not going to be able to hide them," Lewis said. "The question is, can you harden them? Can you defend them? That's what people haven't thought about because we didn't have to before."
Experts warn that Iran's strategy mirrors tactics seen in Ukraine, where asymmetric strikes on critical infrastructure cripple civilian morale and economic stability. With 17 subsea cables passing through the Red Sea—many now in active conflict zones—the risk of a globally disruptive event looms large.
What comes next?
As AI-driven warfare accelerates, the need for physical defenses around data centers is becoming undeniable. Eric Schmidt, former chair of the U.S. National Security Commission on AI, previously suggested that nations lagging in the AI arms race might resort to bombing rivals' data centers.
Vili Lehdonvirta, a professor at Oxford University, noted that operators like AWS may soon invest in air defense systems akin to maritime anti-piracy measures. "If that's the case, then from now on we might perhaps see operators of prominent data centers like AWS investing in air defense," he said.
For now, Amazon has advised clients to reroute traffic away from the Middle East. But with Iran signaling its willingness to strike digital infrastructure—and the U.S. military's growing reliance on commercial cloud providers—the era of "cloud warfare" has undeniably begun.
Sam Winter-Levy, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, starkly warned these attacks are a "harbinger of what's to come—and they won't be limited to the Middle East."
Watch the video below about Microsoft establishing a major cloud data center in Israel.
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