GoKawiilU.S. tech companies are ramping up lobbying of government officials at home and further afield amid the Iran war, as they look to defend their interests and map out contingency plans, industry insiders told CNBC.
Conflict in the Middle East has thrown the global business sector into disarray, with oil prices skyrocketing and supply chains heavily disrupted. In the tech industry, assets in the region have become military targets and analysts have predicted shortages in key materials needed for the AI infrastructure buildout.
"U.S. tech firms are actively engaging both U.S. diplomats in the Middle East and regional counterparts," as well as officials in the White House and Pentagon, Sean Evins, partner at strategic communications consultancy Kekst CNC, told CNBC.
He pointed to clients in Big Tech, as well as the data center and semiconductor sectors, as increasing lobbying efforts, but declined to share specific names as the information is confidential.
Those clients' risk exposure is now physical as well as commercial, he added. "Critical undersea cables, public sector cloud, data centers and enterprise systems are embedded in Gulf economies physically and financially. Any instability quickly starts to threaten contracts and, ultimately, revenue."
A White House spokesperson told CNBC that President Donald Trump had "always been clear about temporary disruptions as a result of Operation Epic Fury."
They added that the administration has "been working hand in glove with industry leaders not just to mitigate these disruptions, but to continue laying the groundwork for America's long-term economic resurgence."