Description
Digital infrastructures have emerged as influential forces that take part in social ordering processes by shaping norms and impacting space and territoriality. Cloud technologies particularly have not only reshaped the economic landscape but triggered profound discussions about authority, technology governance and governance by technology.
The cloud fundamentally transforms the relationship between physical places and placelessness, resulting in a reorganization of power dynamics and authority structures. This paper investigates how cloud technologies redefine notions of territory and sovereignty compared to traditional internet infrastructures. I argue that the cloud is characterised by a hybrid nature, due to its simultaneous centralisation and decentralisation, materiality and virtuality, as well as its global and local dimensions. Ordering cloud infrastructures is increasingly attempted by practices of bordering these infrastructures in a socio-technical way. By unravelling the complexities of the cloud's hybrid nature and its bordering and ordering practices, we gain valuable insights into the transformative potential of cloud technologies in shaping socio-political landscapes.
By challenging conventional understandings of locality and borders inherent in technology, the cloud’s hybridity disrupts debates and policies concerning (digital) sovereignty and territoriality. To illustrate this performativity, I will examine cloud infrastructuring initiatives such as Gaia-X and recent ‘sovereign’ cloud projects. The paper makes use of STS methods to analyse the socio-technical relations within cloud infrastructures. It contributes to growing conversations that dive into the relationship between governance practices and conceptualisations of technology.
