SoLiXG:Computational Infrastructure
Computational Infrastructure
Computational infrastructure brings together processing power, memory, networking, and storage to host billions of services and devices. Operating in diverse geopolitical and financial contexts, computational infrastructure brings large amounts of hardware together in strategically placed data centres. These are connected through public and private networks to deliver compute-as-a-service. Smartphones are essential accessories for computational infrastructures because they provide uniquely addressable nodes for delivery on the one hand and demand for continuous streams of data on the other.
Contemporary computational infrastructure or The Cloud consolidates a software paradigm that promises to optimize for flexibility and scalability. It relies on running software on a server that carries out most of the necessary computation, allowing for continuous centrally managed updates but necessitating clients to be always connected.[1] This so-called agile approach to software production ultimately shifts the management of and responsibility for core operations away from industry, governments, or institutional sites.
The biggest part of computational infrastructure today is managed by Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft. These companies are owned by shareholders, who need to prove growth year on year. Their services need to be expanded into new areas continuously, to increase the need for more Cloud services, or more compute. As an economic model, computational infrastructure relies on "pay-for-what-you-consume" or subscriptions. It allows organisations to shift Capital Expenses (CAPEX) to Operational Expenses (OPEX), thereby increasing cash flow within their organisation but also creating increased dependencies.
Notes from Anna & Manuela _ Tempting to ask (but maybe too much for here): What is the meaning of "power", "memory"? Metaphorical meaning, semantics etc. - What about Chinese businesses, or other? - What is CAPEX and OPEX? Is this the mode of accumulation, thus is this the dominant mode of accumulation? To what extent does labour also play a role? - Is there any hint of notions of community??
General remarks - Do we want to have the same format for each keyword? For example, a. starting with a description of what this is, enhancing literacy? b. what else relevant to understand it (historical context, politics etc.); c. How does it relate to the overall project? c. - Language, like "these" - what does it refer to; CAPEX/OPEX, what is it? Editorial process
- ↑ Gurses, Seda, and Joris Vredy Jan van Hoboken. “Privacy after the Agile Turn,” May 2, 2017. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/9gy73.