Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Oct 8, 2026

Brazil’s Data Center Boom Is Enabled by Renewables Firms—With Laís Martins

Paris Marx is joined by Laís Martins to discuss how Brazil’s renewable energy industry is fueling data center expansion, greenwashing, and harm to local communities.

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Brazil’s Data Center Boom is Enabled by Renewables Firms w/ Laís Martins / Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

Brazil’s renewable energy is being exploited to justify unnecessary data center construction. Laís Martins joins Paris Marx to discuss why the renewable energy sector is behind a rise in Brazilian data center development, how this is impacting communities, and the ways this greenwashing is redirecting funding away from more socially progressive projects.

Laís Martins is a technology reporter at The Intercept Brasil.

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The Scala Data Centers facility in Barueri, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on March 9, 2026.

(Maira Erlich / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Brazil’s renewable energy is being exploited to justify unnecessary data center construction. Laís Martins joins Paris Marx to discuss why the renewable energy sector is behind a rise in Brazilian data center development, how this is impacting communities, and the ways this greenwashing is redirecting funding away from more socially progressive projects.

Laís Martins is a technology reporter at The Intercept Brasil.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/subscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Brazil’s Data Center Boom is Enabled by Renewables Firms w/ Laís Martins / Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

Brazil’s renewable energy is being exploited to justify unnecessary data center construction. Laís Martins joins Paris Marx to discuss why the renewable energy sector is behind a rise in Brazilian data center development, how this is impacting communities, and the ways this greenwashing is redirecting funding away from more socially progressive projects.

Laís Martins is a technology reporter at The Intercept Brasil.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Paris Marx

Paris Marx is the author of Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires. He hosts the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast and writes the Disconnect newsletter.

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