Google invests billions to Finland

Record European Investment: Google to Invest €13 Billion in AI Infrastructure in Finland. Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in AI ‌infrastructure in nippy Nordic country Finland in 2027-2028, its largest single investment in Europe to date. In a press release, the firm noted that the deepening of its “long-term commitment” to Finland also marks its biggest investment in Europe to date.

The money will be used to develop data centres as well as supporting infrastructure, and represents the search engine giant’s largest single investment in Europe to date. “This is Google’s largest single investment in Europe and a testament to Finland’s leadership in responsibly building AI infrastructure,” the company said on Wednesday.

The AI infrastructure build-out would involve the development of three new data centres in the country’s north. The locations were selected based on the availability of electrical power and cold climate (temperature ​can drop well below minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter). After investment Google has operations spanning Hamina (current data center site), Kajaani, Muhos, and Vaala.

The investments will include data centres, electricity grid improvements and clean energy and battery projects driving services such as Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube, Google ​said in a statement. The investment is expected to ⁠contribute some €3.6 billion to Finland’s gross domestic product during the construction phase. The Google investment is expected to support more than 37,000 jobs during construction and boost Finland’s GDP by €3.6bn a year, according to Google. Construction is set to take place in 2027 and 2028.

Illustration made with Google Gemini AI:
gemini_generated_image_enhin0enhin0enhi

There is a question how this will affect the price of the electrical power. Some see this is a right time to plan to build a new nuclear power plant. Building new nuclear facilities typically involves enormous upfront costs, long construction times, and market uncertainty over long horizons. Alongside facility expansion, Google is partnering with local energy companies (including Fortum) to secure power supplies, develop new generation capacity, and support long-term grid stability and decarbonization in Finland. Google has signed a 22-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Fortum. This long-term commitment supports the lifetime extension of the Loviisa nuclear power plant. While Google is also backing onshore wind power (629 MW) and grid-balancing battery storage (a 94 MW system in Kajaani), data centers require steady baseload power even in cold weather without wind. Nuclear power fills this critical need for predictable, zero-emission electricity.

Sources:

Bloomberg: Google to Invest €13 Billion in AI Infrastructure in Finland
YLE: Google to invest $15 billion in AI infrastructure and buy nuclear power in Finland
Google: Google Deepens Commitment to Finland with Two-Year €13 Billion investment in AI Infrastructure
Kauppalehti: Kommentti / Fortumin megadiilistä heräsi heti huoli sähkön hinnasta
ETN: Googlen jätti-investointi: aika on kypsä uudelle ydinvoimalle
Uusiteknologia: Google rakentaa Suomeen 13 miljardilla eurolla uusia datakeskuksia
Reuters: Google to invest $15 billion in AI infrastructure and buy nuclear power in Finland
BBC: Google picks Finland for its largest single investment in Europe

61 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14rPB5gLSBy/

    Finnish authorities ordered Google to halt work at two major AI data center developments after the tech giant cleared over 740 acres of forest without completing required environmental impact assessments.

    The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency issued the stop-work order to Google’s local subsidiary, Tuike Finland, targeting planned data center sites in Muhos and Kajaani.

    According to environmental watchdogs, extensive ground-altering operations had already taken place, including clear-cutting pristine woodlands, removing topsoil, constructing access roads, and altering natural drainage ditches.

    The regulator emphasized that such large-scale landscape modifications directly violate environmental review protocols by altering habitats before potential ecological damage can be officially evaluated and mitigated.

    In response to the regulatory crackdown, Google admitted it had fallen short of its own corporate standards, pledging to cooperate fully with Finnish officials while continuing planned land restoration efforts.

    The regulatory setback highlights growing European scrutiny over the rapid physical expansion of tech infrastructure required to power artificial intelligence. As tech leaders invest tens of billions in global digital infrastructure, the clash in Finland underscores the escalating tension between corporate AI ambitions and local environmental protection laws.

    source: Bryant, M. (2026, October 6). Google told to halt work on datacentres in Finland over environmental concerns. The Guardian.

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Google halts work on data centres as Finnish police probe suspected illegal logging
    Authorities ordered Google to suspend building work at two planned data centre sites following a complaint about the clearance of hundreds of hectares of forest.
    https://yle.fi/a/74-20250446

    Reply
  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The Data Center Disinformation Campaign Ramps Up
    https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/14/the-data-center-disinformation-campaign-ramps-up/

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Vehviläinen ei näe ongelmaa, että investoijat ”polttavat omaa rahaansa” hankkeisiin. Sen sijaan investoinneista aiheutuvat lieveilmiöt huolettavat tutkijaa.

    IL: Professori kritisoi Fortumin Google-​päätöstä – ”Nyt meillä muilla on puolet Loviisaa vähemmän”
    https://www.ksml.fi/uutissuomalainen/9862805?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAU3qItleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHkpeFbnzIUl9oF4RDHXiWTKfEinyVG1hiEUUEqh2nuqufkekNdPIPX1J8pcf_aem_y0ikDH3mxKIb5_GfsBrCFQ#Echobox=1791617742

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19gnWXdbeg/

    Kunnan rakennus­tarkastaja sanoo, että häntä ”painostettiin joka puolelta”. Helsingin Sanomat 10.10.
    Pääministeri Petteri Orpo kutsui Ylen Ykkösaamussa Googlen tekemiä hakkuita Muhoksella ”kylmäksi suihkuksi”. Yle 10.10.

    #petteriorpo #google #datakeskykset #muhos

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ekonomisti ennakoi sähkön hinnan nousevan noin 31 prosenttia todennäköisimmässä skenaariossa.

    Ekonomisti laski: Näin paljon datakeskukset nostavat sähkön hintaa Suomessa – ”Kalliit tunnit yleistyvät voimakkaasti”
    Ekonomisti ennakoi sähkön hinnan nousevan noin 31 prosenttia todennäköisimmässä skenaariossa.
    https://www.kauppalehti.fi/uutiset/a/7cb28c23-8ac9-4a88-83db-523f3f4d470a?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAU4kzNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqfs9DRHUg6OTSvzPp5kiV82ymZxVnFd9y0EBkYvhXYemd9XPRgw5AuOKWZd_aem_Qr8IRiTX5Tdlnd1rnYla4g#Echobox=1791725718

    Nordean ekonomisti Juho Kostiainen sanoo, että datakeskuksista johtuva sähkön kysynnän kasvu nostaa väistämättömästi sähkön hintaa Suomessa. Tämä johtuu hänen mukaansa siitä, että nykyisin sähkön hinta on alle sähkön tuotantokustannusten kaikilla tuotantomuodoilla.

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Suomen sähköverkkoa odottaa jättimäinen urakka – Caruna-pomo: ”Meidän pitää kaksinkertaistaa investoinnit”
    Suomen sähköverkkoihin tarvitaan vuoteen 2036 mennessä yli miljardin investoinnit vuosittain, sanoo Kauppalehden haastattelussa sähköverkkoyhtiö Carunan toimitusjohtaja Jyrki Tammivuori.
    https://www.kauppalehti.fi/uutiset/a/564f538b-003c-4529-b22c-b0caa291bbd3

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.hs.fi/visio/art-2000012300283.html

    YIT haistaa miljardimarkkinan, ja siksi kasvutavoite meni uusiksi
    Rakennuskonserni YIT kaksinkertaistaa kasvutavoitteensa datakeskusbuumin ansiosta.
    Toimitusjohtaja Heikki Vuorenmaa uskoo yhtiön saavuttavan miljardin euron liikevaihdon datakeskusrakentamisesta vuonna 2029.
    YIT on napannut 28 prosenttia Suomen datakeskusmarkkinasta rakenteilla olevien hankkeiden osalta.

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/a/gigatehdas-on-kuukauden-sana/#2dfbbf73

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Käänne: Datakeskukset siirretään sähköjonon hännille, koska vyöry yllätti viranomaiset: ”Tilanne muuttui nopeasti”
    Uusi laki voi viivästyttää uusien datakeskuksien rakentamista jopa vuoden.
    https://yle.fi/a/74-20248277

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Miten Google pääsi toimimaan Suomessa näin?
    Google on tehnyt laajoja hakkuita ja valmistelevia töitä Muhoksen ja Kajaanin datakeskus­työmailla. Yle selvitti, mitä viime kuukausina on oikein tapahtunut
    https://yle.fi/a/74-20250334

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

*