By David A. Deptula | Washington Post
Debates over data center construction have generally targeted the issue as a local zoning nuisance or a threat to the environment and affordable electricity. But this overlooks a crucial fact: The rapid construction of data centers and advanced energy infrastructure required to power them are foundational to American military power and must be a national security priority.
Winning the wars of the future will require long-range precision weapons, advanced combat aircraft, resilient space systems, sophisticated missile defenses, and autonomous systems at sea, land and air — plus the data infrastructure to connect, train and sustain them all.
That last requirement is too often ignored.
The United States cannot prevail in the next era of military competition with assumptions about data infrastructure from the 20th century. Data is no longer merely a tool of commerce. It is a strategic asset. Nearly every function in the military depends on the ability to store, move, process, secure and exploit vast quantities of data at speed and scale.
A nation that cannot store and process data will not deter — nor, if necessary, defeat — a peer adversary.
Many communities are understandably worried that data centers are increasing electricity costs, water use, carbon emissions and noise. Opposition to their construction has become a bipartisan issue. But if the nation is to dominate the development of artificial intelligence, autonomous operations or the future of intelligence gathering, it needs the physical infrastructure.
The U.S. is the global leader in data center capacity. But China has made data infrastructure a strategic priority and is building capacity at astonishing speed. By 2030, it could easily double its current capacity, even while still trailing the U.S.
Those who doubt China’s ability to build quickly need only look at recent history. The country has laid thousands of miles of high-speed rail since 2008, its manufacturing sector is nearly double the size of America’s, and China dominates the production of consumer electronics, electric vehicles, advanced nuclear reactors, solar panels and many other high-tech products. Militarily, China already has the world’s largest navy and may have a fighter air force as large as the U.S. by 2028. When China’s State Council says it plans to “build an infrastructure that supports large-scale data circulation and interconnectivity,” the U.S. should take note.
