The appeal of an easily deployable data center for the military to use on demand is undeniable. Military deployments are frequently unpredictable and often short-term, so it doesn’t make sense in many cases to set up a full-size data center when a smaller, more portable option would do.
Additionally, the growing technological requirements of the military are increasing the demand for innovative data center solutions. This is a challenge that will probably continue to grow.
One of the most promising solutions is the idea of using modular data centers for military operations.
Here’s what military modular data centers might look like, and why they could be a great option under certain circumstances.
Why access to readily deployable data centers is important
Military operations today increasingly depend on high-tech gear and low-latency communications. This means a higher number of military contractors than ever before are shifting operations to the cloud.
The capabilities offered by cloud services are powerful under optimal circumstances, but the shift to cloud-based operations can be problematic when the military must set up outposts in remote locations.
Traditionally, these outposts have relied on more permanent infrastructure. Data centers were difficult to build, complex to manage, and not easy to configure or scale as needed. Traditional data centers took months or years to reach full operational capacity; nowadays, this is time the military simply doesn’t have. They were also often limited by network connections, which is a problem when military members and contractors need access to the cloud in distant parts of the globe. When important operations must happen quickly, quietly, and efficiently, there’s no time to waste bringing in huge facilities’ worth of equipment and running extensive tests and backups.
Similarly, when every second of lag could mean the difference between life and death for service men and women, it’s imperative to have a solid and uninterruptible source of powerful onsite processing. For the military, modular data centers could mean more mobility and flexibility, not to mention a functional advantage over enemy combatants. This means edge facilities must be every bit as capable as more centralized hubs whenever possible. Additionally, core functionality in tactical edge facilities must be up and running immediately, with as little risk of issues as possible.
Additionally, military operations are relying more on artificial intelligence solutions now, and this will probably increase as AI advances. AI analyses, targeting assistance programs, and organizational efficiency algorithms—among many other applications—all contribute to the military functioning smoothly as a cohesive unit. However, there are dangers to using AI as well, especially in terms of cybersecurity and false or misleading information which could put military operations at risk.
Without the onsite ability to quickly process enormous data sets and run advanced algorithms, military installations would be significantly hampered in their ability to respond to threats efficiently. This is even more dangerous when the installation is fighting in relatively urban areas against technologically-savvy enemies. In many of these cases, the side with the best tech has the distinct advantage.
Even away from military deployments, modular data centers may have a place throughout the US Department of Defense (DoD). If DoD data centers are placed in strategic locations, they can further improve latency and increase the speed of communications across oceans and large territories.
Characteristics of modular data centers
While not for everyone and every situation, modular data centers have been around for quite some time and have distinct benefits. Some types of modular data centers can be deployed up to 50% more quickly than standard data centers. This means military installation manager and technicians can set up modular facilities on demand and be up and running much faster than would be possible with a traditional data center.
Additionally, the reduction in necessary labor to set up a modular facility compared to a full-size data center translates to lower costs. These cost savings can be significant if multiple small facilities are set up for the military on an as-needed basis.
The smaller footprint and lackluster appearance of a modular data center may also prove critical to the success of some operations. Setting up a large edge facility could potentially draw attention; in contrast, shipping containers look unassuming and non-threatening, and might be more easily overlooked.
What AWS is offering
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has recently announced their development of a modular data center designed for use by the United States military. Rather than design and roll out the product for mass appeal, they’ve designed this offering for a large client with specific needs. They have placed a heavy focus on maintaining sizable storage capacities and supporting large workloads even in the most remote environments.
Specifically, they have developed these modular facilities to meet the demands of DoD customers in Disconnected, Disrupted, Intermittent, or Limited (DDIL) places where reliable communications with central data centers cannot be guaranteed. These units should enable military outposts to process petabytes or more of data with very little latency.
The Amazon Web Services Modular Data Center, or AWS MDC for short, arose from a contract the DoD set up in 2021 to partner with multiple vendors to make cloud services available even under constraints due to classification levels and security restrictions. This contract, known as the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) contract, aims to allow the DoD to take full advantage of cloud capabilities during critical missions. One of the more exciting functions the JWCC covers is the ability for the DoD to leverage advanced AI capabilities in the field; this is the basis for the Artificial Intelligence and Data Acceleration Initiative (ADA).
The AWS MDC comes equipped with all the infrastructure it needs to be a self-contained unit. The cooling, networking, and power equipment is configured for easy setup in remote locations, and the modular unit also supports some extra functionalities such as AWS Outposts and AWS Snowball Edge. All the military IT people need to do is connect the MDC to a power source and configure its network settings. The rest is already done. This means the MDC could be in place, configured, and running within just days or a few weeks rather than the usual months it would take to set up a similarly capable unit—even one of the more traditional modular options.
Military installations cannot afford to sacrifice speed and data integrity, so the AWS MDC allows for easy scaling. Additional units can be connected to the first to increase the capacity of the entire setup. AWS claims that as many MDC units as necessary may be connected until the desired capacity is reached. Again, connecting these units should be a simple process, because most major functions come preconfigured.
An unmeasurable advantage is that MDC units are also capable of running many services offline. This was a deliberate measure to ensure that even the most remote military outposts can run the services they need to run, even when access to a broader network is unavailable. On the MDC, this offline functionality is accomplished through the inclusion of Snow devices and satellite communications options.
The main limiting factor of the AWS MDC, or any similar modular data center facility, is that the destination site must have an adequate power source to run the required number of units. It’s great that the military can now have powerful data centers in the most remote parts of the world, but the lack of electricity infrastructure in some of these places means that MDC deployments may still be somewhat limited.
Perhaps the second most difficult part of implementing an AWS MDC is the transportation and physical setup of the facility. However, the system has been carefully packed into a container with exactly the same dimensions as any other shipping container you might see in transportation lanes. This standardized package allows for a variety of shipping methods. It should be possible to transport an AWS MDC via ship, train, and truck with relative ease, and by air using a military cargo plane. Additionally, the visual resemblance to a standard shipping container can help keep the transportation of these miniature data centers more private when necessary.
The MDC is currently available only to eligible participants within the JWCC contract, though we may see some expansion by AWS or even competition from other companies in the future.
