Google to Invest at Least EUR 13 Billion in Finland Digital and AI Infrastructure

Google announced that it plans to invest at least EUR 13 billion, equivalent to about USD 15 billion, in Finland's digital and artificial intelligence infrastructure between 2027 and 2028. Google said this is its largest single investment in Europe to date. The expansion plan covers new data centres and supporting infrastructure in four locations: Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala. Unlike earlier technology-company build-outs concentrated in southern Finland, Google is placing the focus of the new facilities in central and northern Finland.

Under the published plan, at the peak of construction the project will contribute an average of EUR 3.6 billion a year to Finland's gross domestic product and directly or indirectly support more than 37,000 jobs nationwide, of which about 16,000 will be construction-related positions.

Google has signed a 22-year power purchase agreement with Fortum, Finland's state-owned energy utility, supporting a life-extension programme for the Loviisa nuclear power plant adjacent to the Hamina campus. The plant currently supplies about 10% of Finland's electricity consumption, and Google's long-term offtake commitment locks in 50% of its stable baseload power output. The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the feasibility of adding flexible power facilities and new reactors at the existing campus. Google has also reached onshore wind offtake arrangements with Valorem and Suomen Hyotytuuli, bringing 629 megawatts of new wind capacity onto the Finnish grid, and will deploy a 94-megawatt battery energy storage system near Kajaani.

Google has committed EUR 31 million over four years to the four host cities, establishing an economic community partnership fund that includes EUR 10 million earmarked for research and frontier innovation, and supporting heat pump and solar retrofits for low-income households. Google's AI Opportunity Fund will work with local Finnish educational institutions and industry alliances to provide artificial intelligence skills training to more than 4,400 industrial workers, and will jointly train 100 young data centre technicians with vocational colleges. More than 600 Finnish suppliers, including Nokia and local telecommunications operator Elisa, will take part in the network build-out and supply chain for Google's Nordic hyperscale data centre.