Record internet blackout and “total annihilation” of AI data centers: the new technological front in the Middle East

The most compelling data is the almost total internet blockage within Iran, which has already become the longest in history globally. But it is not the only impact: there is also threats to data centersinterruptions in digital services and a increasing tension that involves technological giants.

Since the end of February, the Iranian regime has maintained an almost total digital blackout. According to the organization NetBlocksconnectivity fell to just one 1% of usual levels.

This implies that the population has a extremely limited access to the global network. Social networks stopped working, international services practically disappeared and only a controlled internal network remains active.

The cut now exceeds 40 consecutive days, which makes it the longest on recordeven above the case of Sudan in 2019.

The impact is not only technological, but deeply social and economic. Without global connection, the e-commerce comes to a standstilldigital companies become inoperative and the communication with the outside becomes almost impossible. Added to this is the difficulty in accessing independent information, which reinforces internal control in a context of conflict.

These types of measures are not new, but they are becoming more frequent in crisis scenarios, where information control becomes a strategic tool.

While the internal blockade is maintained, the conflict escalates into another terrain: the data centers. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that it could attack energy and technological infrastructure linked to US and Israeli interests.

The organization’s spokesperson, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spoke of a possible “total annihilation” of these objectives, in a message that included a specific reference to an artificial intelligence megaproject in Abu Dhabi. It is about a data center valued at about $30 billionsimilar to the one that was set up in Texas (USA), considered strategic for its AI processing capacity.

Despite the threats, concrete effects of these threats have already been recorded. Some data centers in the Gulf region suffered damage that affected digital operations. Among the mentioned cases there are facilities linked to Amazon Web Serviceswhich would have generated interruptions in services.

The conflict also raised tension with large technology companies. In recent weeks, companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Nvidia y OpenAI as actors linked to Western interests.

This statement marks an important change: technology companies are no longer seen only as service providers, but as key pieces within the geopolitical chessboard.

Behind this scenario the race for artificial intelligence also appears. The data centers They are the heart of this development, since they allow enormous volumes of information to be processed and stored.

Its operation depends on constant energyadvanced cooling systems and global connectivity. Therefore, any disruption—whether from attacks or restrictions—can have an impact that extends far beyond the region.

Although the conflict is taking place in the Middle East, its effects can be felt in different parts of the world. The possible impact of data centers or networks linked to large technology companies could result in failures or slowness in digital services that millions of people use daily.

There is also an increasing risk of cyber attacks, according to various sources involved in the war conflict.

Instead of visible offensives, the most likely scenario is an escalation in digital warfare, with hacking attemptssystem sabotage or theft of sensitive information. Platforms based on artificial intelligence are especially vulnerable for the strategic value of your data.

Added to this is a possible economic impact. If technological infrastructure becomes more expensive to protect or maintaincompanies can pass this increase on to their services, making subscriptions more expensive or limiting access to advanced tools.