Robot Dogs Deployed to Secure Data Centers

Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics are selling quadruped robots to monitor data center perimeters and equipment.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 8:11am

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As companies invest billions into expanding their data center infrastructure, some operators are turning to four-legged robot dogs from Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics to patrol fences, inspect equipment, and flag any issues before they cause costly outages. These mobile robots can travel several miles on a single charge and operate in diverse weather conditions, providing an extra set of eyes and ears that don't require salaries or time off.

Why it matters

The rapid growth of data centers, driven by the increasing demand for cloud and AI computing, is creating a new market opportunity for robotics companies. Robot dogs can help data center operators improve security and efficiency by continuously monitoring large, sprawling facilities that are difficult for human guards to cover comprehensively.

The details

Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics are seeing a "huge uptick" in interest from data center operators for their quadruped robot models like Spot and Vision 60. These robots can perform perimeter patrols, equipment inspections, and alert staff to issues like thermal anomalies, leaks, or security breaches. Customers typically see a return on investment within 18 months by replacing human guards with the robots, which don't require salaries or benefits.

  • Boston Dynamics has seen a "huge, huge uptick" in data center interest over the last year.
  • Novva Data Centers in Utah has publicly deployed a team of Boston Dynamics' Spot robots at its 1.5 million square-foot data center campus.

The players

Boston Dynamics

An American robotics company that makes the Spot quadruped robot, which is one of the top sellers to the industrial sector including data centers.

Ghost Robotics

A robotics company that makes the Vision 60 quadruped robot, which has been deployed in a "handful" of data centers for perimeter security.

Novva Data Centers

A Utah-based operator of colocation data centers that has publicly deployed a team of Boston Dynamics' Spot robots at its 1.5 million square-foot flagship campus.

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What they’re saying

“We've seen a huge, huge uptick in interest from data centers in the last year, I'd say, which is probably not surprising given the investment in that space.”

— Merry Frayne, Senior Director of Product Management, Boston Dynamics

“We know that the cost for a human guard is around $150,000. So we look at that ROI — instead of having two guards at $300,000, you can have one guard and a robot. And the robot obviously doesn't get sick or go on vacation and things like that.”

— Michael Subhan, Chief Growth Officer, Ghost Robotics

What’s next

As AI continues to drive a historic buildout of data centers, robot makers may see a rare chance to plug into one of the biggest infrastructure booms in tech, with thousands of new data centers being built in the US alone.

The takeaway

The deployment of robot dogs in data centers highlights how automation and robotics are being leveraged to improve security, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in critical infrastructure as companies invest billions into expanding their cloud and AI computing capabilities.