Amazon Web Services (AWS) has stated that it is unable to restore access to its cloud-computing facility in Bahrain or one of the data-hosting zones in the UAE due to severe damage caused by Iranian retaliatory strikes, as reported by Reuters on 15 September.

“The damage to our infrastructure exceeded what our services are designed to withstand,” AWS reported in its status update seen by Reuters.

In the UAE, one of the data zones has been damaged beyond recovery, while engineers are working on salvaging resources from the other affected zones.

The outages can be traced back to March when the US and Israel attacked Iran, leading to retaliatory strikes that directly hit AWS facilities in the UAE and Bahrain.

Despite efforts by Bahrain-based customers to shift workloads elsewhere, AWS has been unable to recover the remaining data.

The incident has raised concerns about the resilience of cloud and AI infrastructure in the Gulf region.

Israel and the US have utilized AI infrastructure for military purposes in West Asia, with cloud platforms and data centers playing a crucial role in intelligence and military operations.

AI has become a key component of warfare strategies in the region, with Israel deploying AI-driven drone surveillance for tracking and targeting.

The US has also utilized algorithmic warfare systems to process intelligence and generate targeting recommendations against Iranian forces.

Overall, the incident highlights the growing intersection of technology and warfare in the region.