Data Centres as the New Oil Rigs – A National Security Framing

Introduction: From Utility to Critical Asset

For years, data centres were discussed in terms of real estate, energy efficiency, or cloud competition. That framing is now obsolete. In Q4 2025, governments are treating data centres as strategic infrastructure, akin to oil fields or power grids.

1. OpenAI’s Provocative Comparison

OpenAI’s recent warning—that data centres must be guarded like oil rigs—has been echoed by policymakers.

• Why? Compute is the fuel for AI arms races.

• Implication: attacks on data centres could cripple national resilience.

2. National Security Framing

• U.S.: considering defence-grade protection for hyperscale sites.

• EU: embedding resilience rules under the Cyber Resilience Act.

• Middle East: states positioning sovereign data centres as “digital oil.”

3. Energy and Climate Constraints

The national security frame collides with another reality: data centres are energy-hungry.

• Net zero vs. compute sovereignty: boards must balance environmental commitments with resilience demands.

4. Investor Perspective

• Data centres are now infrastructure plays, not just tech REITs.

• Expect sovereign wealth funds and infrastructure funds to dominate.

"Data centres are no longer neutral real estate—they are contested geopolitical territory."

Conclusion

Boards must treat their data infrastructure as a strategic asset, not an outsourced commodity. Expect Q4 headlines to reinforce this shift, with investors, regulators, and militaries converging on data centres as the new oil rigs of the digital age.