data centers; hyperscale; Washington Metropolitan Area
Abstract :
[en] Data centers constitute a new kind of telecommunications infrastructure that demands attention for four reasons. Data centers are under-examined in the social sciences literature, urban studies, in particular. Data centers present an under explored geography of cyberworlds. Large digital corporations such as Amazon or Google are expanding their role in urban infrastructural development (such as data centers), and it is necessary to research and explain this phenomenon. Data centers present challenges of urban governance. The graphic provided here visualizes the social spatial distribution of data centers in the Washington Metropolitan Area. There are four implications of their social spatial distribution. Data centers are concentrated in metropolitan areas. Data centers have a high demand for energy and water, competing with local residents for these resources. The DC industry is a state-led niche economy. The uneven distribution of data centers can invoke inter-county competition for tax revenue, in addition to access to the water, power, and land resources that data centers require. The scale of the problem is unknown because the input needs of many data centers are not publicly available.
Disciplines :
Human geography & demography
Author, co-author :
Carr, Constance ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Geography and Spatial Planning (DGEO)
Madron, Karinne Lynda ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Geography and Spatial Planning (DGEO)
Syrus, Ahmad ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Geography and Spatial Planning (DGEO)
BAST, Desmond ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Geography and Spatial Planning (DGEO) > Geography and Spatial Planning
External co-authors :
no
Language :
English
Title :
Four reasons why data centers matter, five implications of their social spatial distribution, one graphic to visualize them
Publication date :
2022
Journal title :
Environment and Planning A
ISSN :
0308-518X
eISSN :
1472-3409
Publisher :
SAGE, London, United Kingdom
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
FnR Project :
FNR14691212 - Digital Urban Development — How Large Digital Corporations Shape The Field Of Urban Governance, 2020 (01/04/2021-31/03/2024) - Constance Carr
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