UN adviser urges Europe to rethink data centre security

Europe should slow its data centre expansion and reassess how facilities are protected as they become military targets, according to Mehdi Paryavi, a United Nations adviser and founder of the International Data Center Authority think tank. Russia has struck data centres in Kyiv, while Ukrainian drones have hit facilities in Russia. Paryavi warned that attacks on digital infrastructure can disrupt military operations, healthcare, banking and wider economic activity.

The European Commission has launched a tender to establish up to seven AI gigafactories across Europe, with the call closing on November 12. A spokesperson said proposals would be evaluated after the deadline but did not specifically address whether wartime attacks would change the plans. Paryavi said the financial exposure was substantial: data centres can cost up to $25 billion each and take up to three years to build.

Paryavi urged European countries to coordinate their approach, citing security risks, global energy shortfalls and shortages of trained workers. He recommended concentrating facilities in protected digital hubs rather than scattering them across separate locations. Possible safeguards could include missile defences, underground construction or bunkers, although he acknowledged that no country has a solid answer for improving protection without slowing the race to expand AI capacity.