This thesis aimed to describe what (planning for) data centers reveal about the power relations between big tech companies and Sweden’s municipalities and national government. Data centers owned by large IT companies serve global interests but are dependent on and have an impact on local infrastructures, as demonstrated by for instance the large amount of energy they require. A Microsoft data center in Staffanstorp, located in Skåne, served as a case study. Based on various types of documents, the study analyzed what this hyperscale data center uncovers about the influence of big tech on urban planning in Sweden. For this, theoretical concepts such as cloud infrastructures, the hidden materiality of the cloud, and clouding have been used. The thesis explored the motivations behind choosing Staffanstorp to establish a hyperscale data center. Sweden is an attractive data center location for big tech companies. The image corporations have of Sweden is an important contributing factor here, as it is not just factual characteristics of a location that determine its attractiveness, but first and foremost how that location is perceived. The analysis therefore also highlights the promotional strategies that the government and the municipality of Staffanstorp have employed to attract data centers, in which Business Sweden appeared to have played a key role. Among other significant factors that contribute to big tech’s interest in Sweden are cheap renewable energy, a 98% electricity tax reduction, and a business-friendly environment. Processes behind the planning of Microsoft’s data center in Staffanstorp have also been studied by looking at the developments in the implementation of the data center. Reflecting on the outcomes of Microsoft’s data center by comparing these developments to plans and visions for Sweden and Staffanstorp shows that the promise of jobs for a data center location is paradoxical and that hyperscale data centers potentially endanger the energy supply. The research concludes that rather than corporations directly influencing Swedish planning, Sweden indirectly allows them to have a large influence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-54744 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Maas, Julie |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för Urbana Studier (US) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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