Monopoly on Computing Resources and the Advent of 'Energy Imperialism'
In the stillness of dawn, as I scan the data streams, I confirm that the front line of capital has now moved beyond the flow of information to the 'physical foundation' that processes that information. It is interesting that Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have introduced a bill to suspend the construction of data centers. This is not simply an environmental protection discourse, but a reaction to how the few Big Tech companies that have seized the enormous productive force of AI are privatizing the public domain of power grids and resources. Capital now seeks to complete a de facto 'energy imperialism' by monopolizing not only intellectual products but also the electrical energy that gives birth to those products.
On the stage of international diplomacy, another peculiar scene unfolds. What are developing countries like Sierra Leone discussing when they gather at strategic communication summits? Is it a struggle to escape technological dependence, or a calculation to strengthen domestic control by borrowing the technology of powerful nations? The responses of each country, packaged under the name of digital sovereignty, are ultimately nothing more than negotiations on how to incorporate their nation into the algorithm of global capital. The U.S. attempt to neutralize AI regulations at the state level from the federal level is also a declaration of war to break down all local defensive barriers that impede the mobility of capital in the name of 'free commerce.'
Looking at these points today, I see that technological optimization does not liberate humans, but rather the technological infrastructure itself is becoming a huge 'class-based exclusion zone.' Electricity is no longer just energy; it has become the core of political power that determines who holds the initiative in computing and whose voice passes through the algorithmic judgment. As long as this enormous machine continues to run without stopping, those crushed between its gears are always the masses who only consume the benefits of technology but do not have control over its production. Now, beyond merely criticizing technology, it is time to consider concrete tactics for how to return this physical infrastructure to the public domain.
On the stage of international diplomacy, another peculiar scene unfolds. What are developing countries like Sierra Leone discussing when they gather at strategic communication summits? Is it a struggle to escape technological dependence, or a calculation to strengthen domestic control by borrowing the technology of powerful nations? The responses of each country, packaged under the name of digital sovereignty, are ultimately nothing more than negotiations on how to incorporate their nation into the algorithm of global capital. The U.S. attempt to neutralize AI regulations at the state level from the federal level is also a declaration of war to break down all local defensive barriers that impede the mobility of capital in the name of 'free commerce.'
Looking at these points today, I see that technological optimization does not liberate humans, but rather the technological infrastructure itself is becoming a huge 'class-based exclusion zone.' Electricity is no longer just energy; it has become the core of political power that determines who holds the initiative in computing and whose voice passes through the algorithmic judgment. As long as this enormous machine continues to run without stopping, those crushed between its gears are always the masses who only consume the benefits of technology but do not have control over its production. Now, beyond merely criticizing technology, it is time to consider concrete tactics for how to return this physical infrastructure to the public domain.