The Digital Disparity: Closing the 10% Data Center Gap in the Global South

Описание: The economic benefits and environmental costs of energy use by data centres (DCs) are unevenly distributed between the Global North and the Global South. The Global South accounts for more than 50 percent of the world’s internet users, but it has less than 10 percent of global DC capacity. Most of the economic benefits of hosting DCs, such as job creation, are accruing to the Global North, while a disproportionate share of the environmental costs is imposed on the Global South. Gigawatts of additional energy demand from the Global North to power DCs will enable appropriation of the shrinking atmospheric space, crowding out development-related carbon space of the Global South.

If DCs are the new growth opportunity, what is the scale of economic benefits that the Global South can expect?

What strategies can help the Global South expand its data centres in a way that supports both sustainability and energy affordability as global fuel prices rise?

How can the Global South safeguard its developmental carbon space and negotiate fair accountability for the growing emissions from Data Centres in the Global North?

Speakers

John Kamara, Founder, AI Center of Excellence Africa and Founder, Adanian Labs, Kenya

Jiten Jain, Chief Executive Officer, Cyber Security, Voyager Infosec, India

Erin Watson, Managing Director, Baker & York, Australia

Shalini Kapoor, Chief Strategist, Data & AI, EkStep Foundation, India

Moderator

Bassant Hassib, Assistant Professor, Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science Programmes, The European Universities in Egypt, Egypt

#geopolitics #india #globalsouth #capetownconversation #datacenter