Data centers produce vast environmental and social harms, many that are well documented and others that are still being understood. Hyperscalers, in particular, such as Meta’s “Hyperion” campus in Richland Parish, Louisiana, and X’s “Colossus” cluster in Memphis, Tennessee, have committed numerous injustices against the communities of color in which they are located.

Narratives play powerful roles in data center development and opposition. Tech executives, journalists, and government officials leverage what Paris Marx and M.V. Ramana call the “hype” of technological development, including techno-optimism …