Understanding costs and benefits of data centers in South Africa
Introducing Samantha
Samantha is a Senior Sustainability and Digital Inclusion Researcher at the World Benchmarking Alliance. In her role, she manages the world’s first global benchmark on the sustainability and digital inclusion work of leading technology companies. She holds a Masters in Quantitative Economics (Public Policy and Development) from the Paris School of Economics and takes an intersectional approach to climate and technology research and advocacy.
Fellowship Project
Samantha’s project focuses on the impact of data centers on the lives of the South African people. Data centers are key for connecting people to each other and to the internet to secure economic opportunities; however, they use a lot of energy and water, two resources that are scarce in South Africa. Using an intersectional approach, I will work with local climate activists to understand the benefits and costs of this technology for South Africa.