Record Number of Data Centres Under Construction Across Finland

Finland is experiencing an unprecedented surge in data center investments this year, led by dozens of new projects and a massive new artificial intelligence campus planned for the city of Jämsä.

The Confederation of Finnish Industries reports that sixty new data center projects have started in Finland this year. This brings the total number of announced projects in the country to one hundred and forty-five.

This week, a French company announced a ten billion euro investment to build an artificial intelligence technology center and campus in Jämsä. Major tech firms like Google and TikTok also maintain a presence in the country.

Google previously announced a thirteen billion euro investment in Finland. However, the company faced criticism and a police investigation after cutting down forests without a proper environmental assessment.

Janne Peljo, a senior expert at the Confederation of Finnish Industries, notes that Finland offers abundant land and clean energy potential. He states that permanent structural barriers to growth will not appear quickly.

Despite these advantages, rapid development has caused heavy congestion in the national electrical grid, according to the national broadcaster Yle.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has proposed changes to the electricity market law to manage this issue.

The proposed legislation would prioritize grid connection requests based on power usage and location. It aims to guide high-electricity-consumption projects like data centers away from crowded urban networks toward rural areas.

The government intends for the new law to take effect at the beginning of next year.