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:

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

The “Fakebook” Side (Information Quality)

• Algorithmic Engagement: Content optimized for rage, outrage, and high click-through rates systematically outperforms nuanced, accurate information.
• Policy Shifts: Decisions like scaling back independent third-party fact-checking programs in major markets have cleared the path for unchecked deepfakes, AI-generated slop, and misinformation to flood user feeds.
• Synthetic Content: Generative AI tools have made mass-producing believable nonsense (from fake technical schematics to fabricated news snippets) trivial, polluting groups and comment sections. As is typical with electronic schematics posted on Facebook, it seems like the author intentionally includes errors or just post bad AI slop solely to prompt you to comment and point them out. The goal is to boost their visibility, since on Facebook, that depends on the number of reactions a post receives—regardless of what those reactions are.

The “Farcebook” Side (Platform Usability & Dynamics)

• Ad-to-Content Ratio: Main feeds are increasingly saturated with sponsored posts, “Suggested for You” algorithmic junk, and scam advertisements rather than updates from actual friends.
• Dead Internet Vibe: Automated bot networks, AI engagement pods, and stolen/reposted content account for a huge fraction of daily interactions, making genuine human discussion harder to find.
• Context Collapse: People share far less personal content now than they did a decade ago. The platform has pivoted from a personal social network into a passive broadcast wire for algorithmic noise.

It leaves active users facing a choice between filtering out the signal from the noise or abandoning feed-based scrolling altogether in favor of niche, direct communication tools.

AI was involved in the creation of text and images in this post.

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There are many other countries where you can see a partial solar eclipse. Hundreds of millions of people across Europe will get the chance to see a partial or total eclipse on Wednesday when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. There will be 94% coverage in Dublin and 83% in Oslo, Norway. Montreal will see an 18% bite out of the sun, tapering to 9% in New York and 2% in Norfolk, Virginia.

Finland to see partial solar eclipse on 12 August 2026. The solar eclipse will take place when the Sun is low above the west-northwestern horizon, meaning viewing opportunities will depend on local weather conditions and the position of buildings, trees and hills. The event in Finland is set to begin before 8pm and reach its peak just before 9pm.

Viewing Conditions Strategy
* Clear Western Horizon: Because late afternoon/evening eclipses occur lower in the sky, scout a viewing spot (a hill, field, or elevated deck) with an unobstructed view toward the west/southwest free from tall trees or buildings.
* Check Cloud Coverage: Plan a backup location 30–60 minutes away in case local cloud cover threatens your view.

Many people want to see the solar eclipse. A few warnings needs to be kept in mind to stay safe. ⚠️

Looking directly at a solar eclipse without proper protection can cause permanent eye damage.
Whether you’re in the path of totality or viewing a partial eclipse across Europe or North America, you must protect your eyes or use indirect projection. If you plan to look directly toward the Sun, standard sunglasses will not protect your eyes regardless of how dark or polarized they are. Use ISO 12312-2 Certified Viewers: Check that your solar glasses or handheld viewers are explicitly stamped with ISO 12312-2 compliance: ISO 12312-2:2015, “Eye and face protection — Sunglasses and related eyewear — Part 2: Filters for direct observation of the Sun.” The ISO 12312-2 standard is the main international benchmark for handheld, non-magnifying solar viewers used for direct observation of the Sun.
Inspect the Filters: Before looking up, check your lenses for scratches, tears, or pinholes. Discard damaged glasses immediately.
Putting Them On: Turn away from the Sun, put the glasses on securely over your eyes (or over prescription glasses), and then look up. Turn away before removing them.

“Do not look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer,” the US space agency wrote in a post about eclipse safety.

If you don’t have ISO-certified glasses, use indirect projection to safely view the eclipse cast onto a surface. There are several DIY methods for this:
* Kitchen Colander: Hold a standard kitchen colander 1–2 feet above a sheet of white paper or the ground with your back to the Sun. Each small hole will project a mini crescent-shaped image of the eclipsed Sun.
* Pinhole Cardboard: Take two pieces of cardboard or stiff paper. Punch a clean pinhole in one piece. Stand with the Sun behind your shoulder, and hold the pinhole card so sunlight shines through the hole onto the second card acting as a screen.
* Natural Tree Shade: Find a nearby leaf-covered tree. The small gaps between the leaves act as natural pinhole projectors, casting dozens of mini crescent eclipses onto the ground.

What if you want to take a picture of solar eclipse? Many will be hoping to capture the celestial phenomenon on their phones or cameras. You need to be also careful with cameras. Experts have warned that pointing a digital camera or smart phone camera lens directly at the Sun could cause permanent damage to a device. ⚠️
Pointing your smartphone or camera at the Sun can permanently damage internal sensors, experts warn.
Direct exposure to the Sun, even when partially covered by the Moon, risks overheating a smartphone or digital camera. Pointing a camera at the Sun for a prolonged period could even burn parts of the internal sensor, creating dead pixels that cannot be repaired. “The best practice would be to hold a pair of eclipse glasses in front of your phone’s lenses when photographing the Sun at any point other than totality.”

A solar eclipse creates a rapid, temporary interruption in solar radiation, triggering immediate physical, biological, and technological changes across the path of shadow. Here is a list of some effects on nature and ecosystems:

Atmospheric and Weather Changes
Temperature Drop: Ambient temperatures typically fall by 5°F to 15°F (3°C to 8°C) within minutes as direct sunlight vanishes, with the sharpest decline occurring right at totality.
Eclipse Wind: As the ground rapidly cools under the Moon’s shadow, localized air convection changes, causing winds to quiet down or abruptly change direction before picking up again as light returns.
Humidity and Cloud Shifts: Relative humidity spikes near the surface. Low-altitude cumulus clouds, which rely on rising warm air from sun-heated ground, frequently dissipate during the eclipse.

Animal and Wildlife Behavior
Diurnal Species (Daytime): Songbirds stop singing and head for roosts, honeybees cease foraging and return to hives, and livestock line up to head toward their barns, treating totality as sudden nightfall.
Nocturnal Species (Nighttime): Crickets, frogs, owls, and bats mistake the darkness for dusk, initiating night calls and nocturnal foraging early.
Disoriented Navigation: Species reliant on solar cues or light patterns—such as migratory birds, dragonflies, and marine organisms near the water surface—often freeze or temporarily lose direction during the shadow’s passage.
Anxiety and Grouping: Zoo observations note unusual social behaviors during totality; for instance, flamingos form protective huddles around chicks, while chimpanzees have been observed climbing high structures to gaze at the darkened sky.

Plant Life
Photosynthesis Shutdown: Photosynthetic activity halts sharply as solar irradiance drops.
Stomatal Closure: Pores on leaves (stomata) begin closing to conserve water, temporarily slowing down plant transpiration until full daylight returns.

Effects on Humans and Infrastructure:

Vision Safety
Solar Retinopathy: Looking directly at the Sun’s exposed disk—even during a partial eclipse—causes irreversible thermal damage to retinal photoreceptors. Because the retina lacks pain receptors, damage occurs without immediate warning. Standard sunglasses offer zero protection; viewing requires specialized ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses.

Psychological and Emotional Impact
Awe and Collective Experience: Totality routinely triggers strong psychological reactions, including goosebumps, vocal emotional outbursts, and an intense sensation of awe. Psychological studies show that experiencing a total eclipse fosters elevated feelings of social connection and awe among crowds.

Electrical Grids and Logistics
Solar Power Fluctuations: Electrical grid operators must manage sudden drop-offs in solar energy generation followed by rapid “ramp rates” as the Moon moves past the Sun, requiring hydro, natural gas, or battery reserves to balance the grid. Britain’s biggest energy supplier urges people not to use washing machines or dishwashers during solar eclipse because the shutdown in solar energy generation will coincide with a usual surge in electricity demand in the UK.
Cell Towers and Traffic: Massive influxes of observers into narrow paths of totality often overload rural telecommunication networks and cause severe highway congestion before and after the event.

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To mark the historical occasion, Elisa’s CEO Topi Manner placed the very last commercial landline call from London to Jarkko Saarimäki, the Director-General of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom), hosted at Elisa’s Phone Museum in Helsinki.

Finland actually held onto its landline infrastructure longer than some of its Nordic neighbors, like Sweden. The real shift began in the 1990s with the rise of the internet, followed by a massive turning point in the early 2000s when mobile phones rapidly eclipsed traditional home phones.

What’s Next? The physical infrastructure cleanup across the country will continue for years as miles of old cabling are systematically collected and recycled. As the old copper wires are pulled from the ground, Finland’s digital future is being built on a combination of high-speed fiber-optic cables and wireless mobile networks (4G,5G and groundwork for the upcoming 6G era).

Source:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2026/06/30/puhelinlangat-hiljenivat-kaapeleita-kerataan-viela-vuosia/

Links to my related blog posts:
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2019/08/08/telephone-history-from-tekniikan-museo/
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2019/01/08/end-of-wired-telephone-is-near-in-finland/
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2013/04/15/ethernet-and-telephone-can-share-same-wires/
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2021/04/08/huge-telephone-cable-replaced-with-fiber/
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2021/05/25/telephone-cables-start-to-dissappear/

NE5532 is a real classic component: NE5532 is widely used by professionals and hobbyists in mixers, preamplifiers, and equalizers due to its excellent linearity, wide bandwidth, and high output-drive capability. According to Douglas Self, “there is probably no music on the planet that has not passed through a hundred or more 5532s on its way to the consumer”.

For decades, the NE5532 earned a rare level of trust among audio engineers. It appeared in mixing consoles, amplifiers, studio processors, test equipment, and countless circuit boards because designers knew how it behaved and could build around it with confidence. The performance of the NE5532 remained best in class for almost thirty years, and is still manufactured and widely used. NE5532 (known as 5532 opamp) has stayed the same over the years, and also sold as SA5532, SE5532 and NG5532. When an old production run needed more chips, manufacturers could order the same part number and reasonably expect the approved design to keep working.

Then happened what many electronics professionals consider to be a a screw-up on product update: Texas Instruments recently revised the classic NE5532 audio op-amp design. Then the problems started when you can’t anymore reasonably expect the earlier tested and approved design to keep working: “Scott Dorsey discovered that assumption had become dangerous when newly assembled boards began failing quality-assurance tests. Nothing obvious had changed from the purchasing team’s perspective. The chips came from a major manufacturer, carried the familiar NE5532 name, and fit the existing board.”

Finding the cause required engineers to compare old documentation, revised specifications, internal circuitry, and information that was no longer presented as clearly as before. What emerged was far more significant than normal production variation. TI had issued a change notice claiming there would be no expected impact on function, quality, or reliability. But the failed boards told a different story.

The new version (with exactly same part number) features an incompatible internal structure, a lower maximum supply voltage (reduced to ± 18V), and a slower slew rate (5V/μs), which can cause instability if power supplies aren’t perfectly decoupled.

EEVblog 1752 – Texas Instruments SCREWED UP the NE5532!
“WTF were Texas Instruments thinking changing the design and major specs of the 45+ year old jellybean NE5532 audio opamp WITHOUT changing the part number?!”

Read more:
The Industry’s Most Trusted Op-Amp Was Secretly Rebuilt and Boards Are Now Failing Because of It
https://www.headphonesty.com/2026/07/industry-trusted-op-amp-rebuilt-boards-failing/

NOTE: TI has not changed the single channel opamp NE5534 specifications.

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