A data center in Vernon, Calif. They are groups calling for AI, and the technology it sits on, to be designated as critical infrastructure. (Getty Images)
The designation would unlock a range of federal services, tools and resources for an industry that policymakers view as increasingly tied to national and economic security.
In this handout provided by Amazon, a technician works at an Amazon Web Services AI data center in New Carlisle, Indiana on Oct. 2, 2025. (Photo by Noah Berger/Getty Images via Amazon Web Services)
A hearing of the House Homeland Security panel’s cyber subcommittee weighed whether to designate data centers as a standalone critical infrastructure sector.
Construction on an Oncor electricity power plant by the new Skybox Power Campus data colocation center in North Austin, Texas. Cybersecurity must be table stakes as the data center boom continues, this op-ed argues. (Getty Images)