In recent years, a growing body of evidence suggests that high-profile government construction projects may serve as public-facing covers for classified underground infrastructure—particularly data centers tied to national security, artificial intelligence, and intelligence operations. One such project, the reported demolition of the east wing for a “ballroom” renovation at the White House, has sparked intense speculation. While officially described as a luxury upgrade, the involvement of contractors with classified experience, the staggering $400 million price tag, and precedent-setting projects like Oracle’s underground facility in Israel raise serious questions: Is the ballroom a smokescreen for a covert data center?
Oracle’s Underground Data Center in Israel: A Precedent
One of the most compelling precedents is Oracle’s construction of an underground data center in Jerusalem. In October 2021, Oracle opened a cloud region in Israel with a data center built nine floors below ground to protect against security threats and ensure continuous operation during wartime. The project cost approximately $319 million and marked Oracle as the first hyperscale cloud provider in the country. This facility was not a commercial venture, it was a strategic infrastructure investment with clear military and intelligence implications, designed to withstand attacks and support classified workloads.
The existence of such a facility demonstrates that major technology firms are willing and able to construct deeply buried, high-security data centers under government or quasi-government contracts. Moreover, Oracle has expanded its global network of secure data centers, including regions tailored for top-secret government use.
U.S. Government’s Push for Classified Data Infrastructure
The U.S. government has also taken significant steps toward building secure, often hidden, data infrastructure. In 2025, President Biden signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to identify federal lands suitable for leasing to private companies for AI and data center development. The Department of Energy has already identified 16 such sites with pre-existing energy infrastructure to enable rapid deployment.
Additionally, the White House issued a directive in July 2025 to accelerate federal permitting for data center infrastructure, explicitly including AI data centers and their supporting power systems. These actions reflect a national strategy to expand computing capacity especially for intelligence and defense applications, while minimizing public scrutiny.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a “secret-level” cloud region for federal customers, enabling the deployment of classified workloads across multiple secure locations. Similarly, AWS secured a 2024 contract with the Australian government to host “top secret” data, reinforcing the global trend of privatized, underground, and highly secure data facilities.
Contractors, Secrecy, and the Ballroom Cover Story
The role of construction contractors is critical in understanding how such projects remain hidden. Big Tech companies frequently use non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with local governments and contractors to prevent communities from learning who is building in their backyards. This secrecy enables the construction of massive facilities under false pretenses.
Clark Construction, the firm reportedly involved in the White House ballroom project, has a documented history of building classified facilities. According to investigative reports, Clark specializes in constructing data centers for clients they legally cannot name, suggesting experience in intelligence and defense projects. Given this background, the claim that a $400 million “ballroom” is merely for ceremonial use strains credibility.
Experts have dismissed the idea that such a high-cost project could be purely aesthetic. While some online theories have been debunked by tech analysts, the lack of transparency surrounding the project’s budget, design, and contractor oversight fuels suspicion. The Secret Service’s involvement in overseeing construction further blurs the line between ceremonial space and secure infrastructure.
A Pattern of Hidden Infrastructure
Governments and tech giants are increasingly turning to underground, hardened, and covert facilities to house critical data infrastructure. From nuclear-blast-resistant bunkers to mountain-embedded citadels, the trend is clear: the future of data is underground.
The Oracle Israel project proves that $300 million underground data centers are not only feasible but strategically necessary in an era of cyberwarfare and AI dominance. When combined with executive orders, contractor secrecy, and classified cloud regions, the “ballroom” narrative begins to look less like a renovation and more like a cover.
Until full transparency is provided, the public is left to wonder: what or who is really being hosted beneath the White House floor?