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India's Data Center Boom Displaces Communities Without Compensation

Osama Manzar, founder of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, raises concerns about the rapid expansion of data centers in India, highlighting the negative impact on local communities and questioning the true definition of development in this context.

Manzar notes that while internet access in India has surged, the benefits of new technologies like data centers are concentrated among powerful actors, potentially mirroring past extractive practices concerning land and water resources. He questions the location and necessity of these data centers, given their immense water and electricity demands, which are projected to match the annual domestic needs of 1.3 billion people and the energy demand of 650 million people by 2030, respectively.

He criticizes the Indian government's classification of data centers as developmental activities, arguing that local communities are not adequately consulted or considered. "You are coming to us to seek our land, our climate, and our space. You need to consult us. You need to consider the community. If you’re taking my land, what are you giving back?" he asks, pointing out that local populations are rarely stakeholders and that promises of job creation are often unfulfilled due to the automated nature of data centers.

Awareness of data center development is low until construction begins, as the term itself is not widely understood. Manzar contrasts this with traditional industrialization, which typically creates numerous jobs. He advocates for hyperlocal, distributed data centers that serve local needs rather than developing countries becoming "data waste centers" for the global elite. He also questions the lack of accountability for pollution and noise generated by these facilities, and the fact that their very existence is presented as non-negotiable.

Manzar suggests that community voices can be incorporated through village and district-level representatives. He points to disputes over acquired land in Telangana for a Microsoft data center, emphasizing that these private entities should not be treated with the same sovereign considerations as public infrastructure projects. He also questions the reliance on companies' promises regarding water usage and environmental impact, stating that the fundamental question of whether a data center should exist in a particular location is often overlooked.

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