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