ROBNEWS
Robot Dogs Patrol AI Data Centers, Cutting Guard Costs by $150K
Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics report 'huge uptick' in data center security demand as AI infrastructure boom creates new market for autonomous quadrupeds.
Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics report 'huge uptick' in data center security demand as AI infrastructure boom creates new market for autonomous quadrupeds.
Robot dogs are now guarding some of America's data centers — and the economics are adding up.
According to Business Insider, Boston Dynamics' Spot and Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 are patrolling AI data centers across the country, offering a cheaper alternative to human security guards as the industry experiences unprecedented growth.
"I was literally at a data center this week," said Merry Frayne, senior director of product management at Boston Dynamics, according to Business Insider. "We've seen a huge, huge uptick in interest from data centers in the last year."
The math is straightforward: a human security guard costs around $150,000 annually, while Boston Dynamics' Spot ranges from $175,000 to $300,000 depending on configuration, and Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 starts at $165,000. Robot makers say customers typically see a payoff within 18 to 24 months.
"Instead of having two guards at $300,000, you can have one guard and a robot," said Michael Subhan, chief growth officer at Ghost Robotics, per Business Insider. "The robot obviously doesn't get sick or go on vacation."
But the robots aren't replacing humans entirely — they're augmenting them. Both companies emphasize that humans remain in the loop, monitoring live feeds from a control room.
"We sort of augment the guard," Subhan said. "We're not there to replace the human guard."
Novva Data Centers in Utah has publicly deployed a team of Boston Dynamics' Spot robots at its 1.5 million square-foot campus in West Jordan. The robots run pre-determined missions to collect data, monitor equipment, and report unusual activity.
North America is looking at significant data center capacity under construction, with roughly 5,000 data centers in the US and hundreds more being built. As AI infrastructure expands, the four-legged machines are finding a new home among the servers.