Naturalizing Data Centre Clusters: Sociotechnical Imaginaries of “Digital Ecological Civilization” in Contemporary China

Abstract This article investigates how China’s national vision of ecological development integrates digital technology through the narrative of “digital ecological civilization.” Employing the framework of sociotechnical imaginaries, it explores how this narrative emerges nationally and is localized in Guizhou, a burgeoning data centre hub. Nationally, “Digital China” and “ecological civilization” converge into “digital ecological civilization,” portraying digital technology as a transformative force for human–nature harmony, distinct from Maoist ideals of dominating nature. In Guizhou, local discourse highlights the province’s “natural” advantages – climate, resources and karst landscape – framing its digital growth as natural and inevitable. Yet, this narrative obscures extensive state interventions, mythicizing technology’s role while sidelining historical complexities and socialist-era legacies. It legitimizes state-led infrastructural investments and projects a unified future vision. The study illuminates how a “techno-eco unity” sociotechnical imaginary shapes China’s developmental path, revealing the intricate interplay of technology, ecology and modernity in crafting an alternative modernization narrative.