The Middle East boasts cheap energy and large masses of land, which has brought nearly $300 billion in projected AI investments in the Gulf. But the U.S. and Israeli-led war on Iran is forcing a reevaluation of data center security, location strategies, and supply chains. Iranian drone strikes on three Amazon Web Services facilities in the UAE and Bahrain reveals the vulnerabilities of AI infrastructure as a strategic, physical target, along with targeted military bases and oil and gas production facilities. AWS had planned a $5.3 billion AI data center in Saudi Arabia, the status of which is now unknown. As of March 2, 2026, the project was reaffirmed, but that was before direct attacks on other AWS regional assets. Traditionally, governments have not brought data centers into national security planning frameworks, but now they will have to. The sovereign, strategic nature of AI data centers will inevitably shift the focus to military-grade security for data centers. That could include anti-drone defense systems or reinforcing structures with concrete, as well as protecting vulnerable cooling components. Some data center developers and hyperscalers may even consider construction of underground facilities, which could take years longer than traditional builds. There will also, no doubt, be an emphasis on redundancy planning, as wars are proving to have a different dynamic than natural disasters. Inevitably, the war will also force a recalibration about the most obvious vulnerability: location. The vulnerability of data center sites may disrupt any trend toward concentrating AI data centers in one particular location, especially those prone to high conflict. It may become more strategic to spread infrastructure across different regions – especially across those with less geopolitical risk. Balancing that with the need for energized power will be difficult, but necessary.