About this episode
Where is “the cloud,” anyway? It’s in a bunch of nondescript warehouses all over the country. Zachary Crockett serves up the story. SOURCES: Chris Kimm , senior vice president of global customer care and customer experience at Equinix. Raul Martynek , C.E.O. of DataBank. Clayton Rosati , associate professor of geography at Bowling Green State University. RESOURCES: " How Data Center Alley Is Changing Northern Virginia ," by Mac Carey ( Oxford American , 2025). " Noisy, Hungry Data Centers Are Catching Communities by Surprise ," by Sean Patrick Cooper ( The New York Times , 2024). " As Data Centers for AI Strain the Power Grid, Bills Rise for Everyday Customers ," by Evan Halper and Caroline O'Donovan ( The Washington Post , 2024). " Data Plantation: Northern Virginia and the Territorialization of Digital Civilization in 'The Internet Capital of the World' ," by Clayton Rosati, Aju James, and Kathryne Metcalf ( Online Media and Global Communication , 2023). " A New Front in the Water Wars: Your Internet Use ," by Shannon Osaka ( The Washington Post , 2023). EXTRAS: " Why Is It So Hard (and Expensive) to Build Anything in America? " by Freakonomics Radio (2023). Data Center Map . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.