American company Google, which is part of the Alphabet group, is investing at least 13 billion euros in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Finland over the next two years. The company described this step in a statement as its largest single investment in Europe.
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Alphabet investing massively in Finland
Finland has become a magnet for data centers. Thanks to its cold climate, managing the heat produced by data centers is cheaper here, and the country also has large amounts of low-carbon electricity provided by nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric power plants. Microsoft and Chinese company ByteDance, owner of TikTok, have their centers here, among others.
Alphabet increased its global investments this year to 195 billion to 205 billion USD to meet growing demand for computing power. The investment in Finland includes data centers, electrical grid modernization, and projects focused on clean energy and batteries, which will be dedicated to services such as Gemini, search, maps, and YouTube. Implementation is planned for 2027 and 2028, and upon completion should support approximately 7,000 jobs.
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Data centers as remedy for Finnish crisis
Finnish energy company Fortum stated that the agreement also includes a contract to purchase up to 50 percent of the energy production from one of two Finnish nuclear power plants. The contract is for 22 years. Google has been operating in Finland since 2009, when it purchased a former paper mill in the town of Hamina and converted it into a data center. Since then, it has gradually expanded its presence in the country.
Attracting investment in data centers is a priority for the right-wing government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. The country is struggling with record-high unemployment and slow economic growth, AFP agency pointed out.
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Source: ČTK
