Determinants and Determinisms of the Data Center: A Comparative Study of Data Center Industrialisation in Ireland, Singapore, USA, and UAE

Abstract

The global data center industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and is only in its nascency. This thesis explores the relationship between multi-faceted considerations and the manifestations thereof in the development of the data center industry across different regional contexts, using the theoretical framework of technological determinism to contextualize this industry within historic innovations in technology. Using a cross-cultural multicase study approach, this research analyzed the approaches to data center industrialization in Ireland, Singapore, the UAE, and the US, incorporating the reflexive thematic analysis method to yield findings both specific to- and across each of the four contexts, within the themes of economic and political landscapes, the AI paradigm shift, and sustainability. The interdisciplinary approach to analyzing the data center industry fills a gap in existing literature on the data center, which is largely focused on either a particular context or facet of the data center industry. The nuances of technological determinism clarify and challenge the seemingly inevitable expansion of the data center industry, empowering stakeholders in governments, industry, and civil spheres to shape its trajectory.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Humanities and Social Science