Interview: Are data centres really ‘development’ for India?

This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West.

When Osama Manzar started the nonprofit Digital Empowerment Foundation in 2002, just 1.2% of India’s population was online. Now, more than 70% is. But Manzar’s mission statement – helping poor and rural communities come out of the digital dark to access information, literacy, and livelihoods – still holds.

In the age of artificial intelligence, Manzar senses the risk of another extractive technology, with the benefits and control concentrated among powerful actors both at the algorithmic level and in terms of land and water.

As protests erupt from India to Malaysia to Chile, Manzar – who has served on several Indian government and international policy committees dealing with internet access, digital inclusion, and infrastructure – not only questions how and where the data centers are being built, but also why. Especially when they’re on track to consume water equivalent to that of 1.3 billion people’s annual domestic needs, and require electricity matching the energy demand of 650 million people by 2030.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. A recording of the live Rest of World event is available here.

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