It depends on what you're trying to deploy.
If you're doing a simple install which doesn't require a plan file or configuration (e.g., just SAS Foundation), you can get around the deployment tools' need for a windowing interface by using the -console option to the SAS Deployment Wizard and SAS Deployment Manager. See the SAS Deployment Wizard and SAS Deployment Manager 9.4: User's Guide for more info.
If you're doing a planned deployment involving configuration, then the deployment process does indeed require X11. It's not so much that it requires a windowing interface as the underlying importing of metadata packages relies on X11 libraries. It's possible to use Xvfb to get around the need for a physical display. Of course importing and exporting your own metadata packages after SAS has been deployed still rely on X11, so you'll need a display or Xvfb even after you're done deploying.
The import/export process is being changed to remove this dependency in the next maintenance release (9.4M3).