Hyperscaler Extraction, Mineral Sovereignty, and Digital Colonialism
June 4, 2026
AI's material expansion is hardening into a new extraction regime where hyperscalers compete for water and energy while mineral powers assert geopolitical leverage. Simultaneously, digital technologies extend colonial patterns into Indigenous lands while opaque corporate architectures consolidate algorithmic control over state functions and biological security.
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UN report warns AI could soon use 3% of world’s electricity and more water than we need to drink
Getty Images One argument often used to quell concerns about the rising energy and resource demand of data centres is that artificial intelligence (AI) models will need less in the future as they improve and become more efficient. But this seemingly logical thinking is a trap, according to a new Uni…
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OpenAI and Anthropic Sign Letter to Prevent AI-Developed Biological Weapons
Leading AI labs, executives, and scientists are sending a letter to lawmakers urging them to improve tracking of synthetic DNA sequences that could be used for bioweapons.
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Data Center Operators Are Trying to Fix Their Water Use Problems
Google, Microsoft, and other hyperscalers have come under scrutiny for their impact on water quality and availability.
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Why the EU's Data Center Boom Is a Black Box
As Brussels prepares to unveil a tech sovereignty package on June 3, the political tone around Europe’s digital infrastructure is shifting. A recent investigation by Investigate Europe, published with partners including Tech Policy Press, shows that a confidentiality clause inserted into an EU regul…
- AI governance
- media and technology
- structural power
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Amazon Thinks the Future of Data Centers Depends on a Technical Problem It Just Solved
The tech giant says a breakthrough in data-center networking has dramatically accelerated the flow of information through its massive cloud infrastructure.
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Palantir Contracts Have Become ‘An Unacceptable Point of Weakness,’ UK Politicians Warn
A government committee says that the country’s growing dependence on the data analytics company is a serious liability.
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The World’s Mineral Powers Seize Their Moment
Resource-rich countries haven’t always benefited from extraction. Can this time be different?
- geopolitics
- structural power
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Indigenous digital colonisation: How the internet is affecting the lives of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon
The colonisation of Brazil, which began in the 16th century with the arrival of the Portuguese, caused profound transformations in the lives of Indigenous peoples. This included the spread of disease, loss of territory and violence. Today, a comparable process is underway, one we are calling “Indige…
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