Acid Clouds Mapping Data Centre Topologies

Acid Clouds: Mapping Data Centre Topologies explores the hidden infrastructures of our digital lives, exposing the political, ecological, and social dynamics embodied by data centres. Moving beyond the sanitized image of the “cloud,” it unpacks the material and ethical complexities of these often-overlooked data storage structures.

Edited by Niels Schrader and Jorinde Seijdel, the book features essays from international authors who examine data centres through lenses such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital commons, decolonial practices, technodiversity, urban strategies, environmental impact, extractivism, algorithmic bias and digital capitalism. Roel Backaert’s nighttime photographs of 101 Dutch data centres captures their imposing presence and questions their concealed impacts. Together, these perspectives illuminate the power structures, environmental effects, and cultural implications of data centres.

Acid Clouds urges readers to reconsider the ethics of our digital dependencies, posing vital questions: How can we rethink data ownership and control? In what ways do data centres influence our identities and societal norms? How might we resist the extractive tendencies of digital capitalism and envision a more equitable digital future? The book challenges us to critically engage with the hidden yet pervasive infrastructures that shape our world.

Text contributions by Ramon Amaro & Sheena Calvert, Annet Dekker, Mél Hogan, Michiel van Iersel & Mark Minkjan, Marina Otero Verzier, Ned Rossiter, Niels Schrader, Jorinde Seijdel, Füsun Türetken, Waag (Marleen Stikker, Max Kortlander, Sander van der Waal), and photos by Roel Backaert in collaboration with Niels Schrader.