US tech giants flocked to the Persian Gulf. Now they are targets.
- Mar 16
- 1 min read
American tech companies are facing a new reality in the Persian Gulf two weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
The region — seen as a safe haven for investment, cheap energy and hands-off regulation — became a hub for building the data centers needed to create and deliver A.I. software. Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and other American firms flocked to the area for its growing economies and its convenient online transmission links to Africa and Europe.
Across the Middle East, total spending on consumer and business technology reached an estimated $65 billion last year, up from $36 billion in 2020, according to the research firm IDC. Spending on technology for data centers and cloud services rose 75 percent last year to $895 million.
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