AI boom is fueling demand for an unexpected new role paying up to Rs 1.85 crore
Companies building AI infrastructure are increasingly hiring specialists to secure data centres. The demand reflects the rising value of these facilities and a widening range of threats around them.
For years, conversations around artificial intelligence have largely focused on one question: Will AI take away jobs? Recently, however, a different trend has started to emerge. The conversation is increasingly shifting toward the idea that AI may not replace workers but instead act as a productivity multiplier. While the tech industry has witnessed increasing layoffs over the past few years, there is reportedly a surge in demand for a far less conventional role: protecting the data centres powering the AI revolution.
As companies pour billions of dollars into building the infrastructure needed to run AI models and cloud services, they are also hiring people to protect it.
According to a Business Insider report, job postings mentioning both "physical security" and "data centres" have nearly quadrupled since early 2020, based on data from Indeed.
What do these jobs involve?
Demand for security specialists is rising alongside broader growth in data-centre hiring. Business Insider, citing LinkedIn data, reported that postings for data-centre jobs increased 23 per cent in 2025.
The security roles involve evaluating sites, setting security standards, monitoring threats, and helping protect facilities as they continue to expand.
Some job listings offer benefits such as fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid parental leave, and even catered lunches every day. According to the report, some positions list base salary ranges of up to $143,000 (around Rs 1,38,71,000) to $191,000 (around Rs 1,85,27,000).
Why data centres need protection
The surge in demand reflects the growing importance—and value—of these facilities. Companies are investing enormous sums into AI infrastructure. Recently, Google's parent company Alphabet said it was raising $80 billion through a package of equity offerings reportedly for AI compute. Meanwhile, OpenAI and Oracle officially broke ground on the $16 billion Stargate campus in Saline Township, Michigan.
With so much money flowing into these projects, protecting them has become a priority.
But the risks are not limited to theft or trespassing.
Data centres have increasingly become targets of criticism from groups concerned about the energy, water, and land they consume, as well as the noise they generate. Tensions around AI have also spilled into the real world. In April, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was reportedly attacked twice, with reports suggesting the attackers were motivated by hostility toward artificial intelligence technology.
Security concerns around data centres extend far beyond protests.
Threats can include industrial espionage, drone incursions, civil unrest, and activism. During the ongoing Iran-US conflict, concerns around critical digital infrastructure intensified. In March, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups reportedly expanded their list of targets by describing major US cloud providers as "legitimate targets," accusing them of supporting American and Israeli military intelligence operations.
Reports also indicate that Iranian drones struck two AWS data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in April.
As a result, companies are increasingly looking for specialists who can identify vulnerabilities and respond to emerging threats.
For years, conversations around artificial intelligence have largely focused on one question: Will AI take away jobs? Recently, however, a different trend has started to emerge. The conversation is increasingly shifting toward the idea that AI may not replace workers but instead act as a productivity multiplier. While the tech industry has witnessed increasing layoffs over the past few years, there is reportedly a surge in demand for a far less conventional role: protecting the data centres powering the AI revolution.
As companies pour billions of dollars into building the infrastructure needed to run AI models and cloud services, they are also hiring people to protect it.
According to a Business Insider report, job postings mentioning both "physical security" and "data centres" have nearly quadrupled since early 2020, based on data from Indeed.
What do these jobs involve?
Demand for security specialists is rising alongside broader growth in data-centre hiring. Business Insider, citing LinkedIn data, reported that postings for data-centre jobs increased 23 per cent in 2025.
The security roles involve evaluating sites, setting security standards, monitoring threats, and helping protect facilities as they continue to expand.
Some job listings offer benefits such as fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, paid parental leave, and even catered lunches every day. According to the report, some positions list base salary ranges of up to $143,000 (around Rs 1,38,71,000) to $191,000 (around Rs 1,85,27,000).
Why data centres need protection
The surge in demand reflects the growing importance—and value—of these facilities. Companies are investing enormous sums into AI infrastructure. Recently, Google's parent company Alphabet said it was raising $80 billion through a package of equity offerings reportedly for AI compute. Meanwhile, OpenAI and Oracle officially broke ground on the $16 billion Stargate campus in Saline Township, Michigan.
With so much money flowing into these projects, protecting them has become a priority.
But the risks are not limited to theft or trespassing.
Data centres have increasingly become targets of criticism from groups concerned about the energy, water, and land they consume, as well as the noise they generate. Tensions around AI have also spilled into the real world. In April, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was reportedly attacked twice, with reports suggesting the attackers were motivated by hostility toward artificial intelligence technology.
Security concerns around data centres extend far beyond protests.
Threats can include industrial espionage, drone incursions, civil unrest, and activism. During the ongoing Iran-US conflict, concerns around critical digital infrastructure intensified. In March, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups reportedly expanded their list of targets by describing major US cloud providers as "legitimate targets," accusing them of supporting American and Israeli military intelligence operations.
Reports also indicate that Iranian drones struck two AWS data centres in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in April.
As a result, companies are increasingly looking for specialists who can identify vulnerabilities and respond to emerging threats.
