Reclaim the Cloud! Contesting, Resisting and Reimagining Data Centers

Data centres are the backbone of the internet and the foundation for architecture of our digital lives. Around the world, large tech companies, such as Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Google are investing billions in hyper-scaler data centres designed to provide computation and data capacity for generative AI and other digital products. These data centres are no abstract entities, they are built with loads of concrete, take up space massively and need lots of energy, water and resources to operate. Hence they influence, change and conflict with local politics, ecologies and ideas about good digital futures. Their closed ownership structures also raise urgent questions of upstream power concentration, and undermines democratic oversight and accountability of technological development.

Recently, lines of conflict around data centre development have erupted around the globe. From Mexico and US to France and Germany protest movements against data centres led by local activists contest promises of technical innovation and regional development, and defend ecological and local interests. These protests are opening up a a space for an alternative vision of data centre infrastructure – and thus an alternative vision for the foundations of our digital life.

At this event, we want to discuss what the challenges, resistance and new ideas for the future of data centres might look like.

We will combine political analysis from Paris Marx and Algorithm Watch with practical experience by the activists of La Nuage était sous nos pieds and discuss alternative visions of digital futures with the the Community Data Centers research project from the Weizenbaum Institute.

Participants

• Paris Marx – Author (Road to Nowhere), Journalist (Time, Wired, disconnect.blog etc.), Host (Tech Won't Save Us
• Julian Bothe – Algorithm Watch
• La Nuage était sous nos pieds – French Data Center Resistance Group
• Weizenbaum Institute's “Community Data Centers“ research project

Agenda

Registration link will be available shortly!