GoKawiilParis Marx's 'Hyperscale' traces global resistance to data center expansion
Tech critic and podcast host Paris Marx has published a book, 'Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires,' examining decades of opposition to data center growth worldwide, from Vietnam War-era protests to recent fights in Ireland, Chile and New Zealand. In an interview, Marx traces his interest to 2019 moratoriums in the Netherlands and Singapore, Ireland's 2022 grid strain debates, and Google's effort to conceal its water usage in The Dalles, Oregon, where the company was later found to consume 29 percent of the town's water.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The book's release coincides with data centers becoming a flashpoint in US midterm elections, suggesting local resource fights over power and water could carry real electoral weight. Marx's international survey implies that US activists facing similar battles over electricity and water consumption might draw strategic lessons from longer-running struggles abroad. His framing also raises the possibility that a cooling AI investment cycle could reshape or slow the current data center building boom.
- Paris Marx's new book 'Hyperscale' chronicles global opposition to Big Tech data centers.
- Google reportedly hid water usage data in The Dalles, Oregon, before it was revealed the company used 29% of local water.
- Data centers have become a contested issue ahead of US midterm elections, echoing earlier fights in Ireland, Chile, and elsewhere.
Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires — This is the exact book discussed in the article, tracing the global fight against Big Tech's data center expansion from Ireland to Chile to New Zealand. If you want the full context behind the data center backlash shaping US elections, Paris Marx's deeply researched book is the place to start.
See Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: wired.com — Molly Taft, 2026-10-25
Published there as: “What the US Movement Against Data Centers Can Learn From Abroad”
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