This project explores how data centres are transforming Arctic regions. Many former industrial towns in the North are becoming digital hubs: for example, the empty paper mill in Kajaani now hosts the LUMI supercomputer. The project examines how these changes affect local communities and the environment, asking whether data centres can bring renewal instead of repeating cycles of technological boom and decline. Fieldwork will take place in Finland and Canada, with additional comparative cases in Norway and Sweden. The study combines media and policy analysis, archival research, interviews, and community-based fieldwork. Our team of researchers and artists will work together to understand how local and Indigenous communities imagine more sustainable digital futures in the North. The results will help policymakers, industries, and citizens guide digital transitions that benefit both people and the environment.

2026

2030