Iceland

Our work in Iceland

Iceland has become a hotspot for the development of the IT industry and in particular for data centers in the last decade. Data centers are the material infrastructures that support and concentrate our digital operations, such as the “cloud”, cryptocurrency mining operations, and AI. To work they require a huge amount of energy, both for computing processing and cooling. Harnessing the power of its seismic activity and glacial rivers, the country has been historically generating abundant and inexpensive renewable energy, and beyond that, offers ideal climate conditions for refrigeration of work-intensive computing machines. The discourse of plentiful and inexpensive renewable energy has shaped political and economic agendas, driving the growth of energy-intensive industries under the guise of sustainability. Yet, recent concerns have emerged regarding constraints and shortages in the country’s energy supply, pushing it towards sociotechnical limits of power generation. Drawing from these complex sociotechnical entanglements that connects economic growth, energy supply and political agendas, the research will investigate the discourses and different perspectives – ranging from political actors, IT companies and activists – on the development of the IT industry and how it connects with claims for sustainability in Iceland.