*State, platform capitalism and infrastructural power: Microsoft's data
centres in Greece 2.0*
Charis Papaevangelou et al.
*Abstract*
This article examines the under-explored role of the state in enabling
platform capitalism by analysing Microsoft's infrastructural investment
in Greece, as part of the country's post-pandemic ‘National Recovery and
Resilience Plan: Greece 2.0’. While much of the critical literature
emphasises platform companies’ control over infrastructure and data, we
argue that state facilitation is a crucial component of platform capital
accumulation. Through a case study of Microsoft's construction of three
data centres in the region of Attica, we show how the Greek state
actively facilitated this investment, framing it as a driver of
modernisation and economic recovery. We base our study on a
comprehensive document analysis of official communications, regulatory
frameworks and legal documents. This involvement exemplifies how
semi-peripheral states like Greece, shaped by neoliberal restructuring
and economic dependence, contribute to consolidating the power of tech
corporations, often at the expense of local communities and the
environment. By integrating theories of state capitalism and
techno-colonialism with critical platform scholarship, this article
contributes to a deeper understanding of the political economy of
platform capitalism, revealing the symbiotic yet exploitative nature of
state-tech partnerships and urging a re-centring of the state's role in
facilitating corporate dominance over digital infrastructures and global
platform capitalism.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/29768624251323325
