The Modern War Institute at West Point published an analysis framing AI data centers as critical military terrain that adversaries would prioritize in future conflicts. The piece examines the concentration of AI training and inference infrastructure in a small number of large campuses as a strategic vulnerability, arguing that military planners must account for their defense. Authors call for hardening, redundancy, and distributed architecture considerations to be integrated into national AI infrastructure planning.
A formal military analysis from West Point's research institute elevates data center physical security to a national defense issue, which could accelerate federal involvement in siting, redundancy requirements, and hardening standards. If policymakers adopt this framing, it would reshape how federal agencies approach data center permitting and investment incentives.
Named institution (Modern War Institute at West Point), distinct national security framing, and direct policy implications for federal data center planning triggered selection. This is the only article in today's batch addressing the military and defense dimension of AI infrastructure.