While ChatGPT and other forms of artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominating headlines recently, little attention has been given to the physical infrastructure such as data centres and microchip factories needed to support this technological revolution. Debates surrounding AI are rarely concerned with how tech companies extract resources to fuel their growth.
Physical infrastructure supports the technology we use in everyday life. This includes data centres, large facilities that house the many computer servers needed to store the vast amounts of information accumulated by tech companies. It may also include mining operations to extract raw materials used as components in our technology, such as the lithium for batteries.
