Google announced a €13 billion investment in Finland to build at least three new data centers.

Google's parent company, Alphabet, will deploy its largest single European investment to date in Finland, totaling at least €13 billion, marking the tech giant's continued commitment to AI computing infrastructure.

According to Bloomberg, Alphabet announced on Wednesday that the investment will be used over the next two years to build at least three new data centers and expand its existing facilities in Hamina, a city in southeastern Finland. Alphabet's Chief Investment Officer, Ruth Porat, stated, "Google is proud to further deepen its presence in Finland; this is the company's largest single investment in Europe."

This investment is part of Alphabet's overall strategy to accelerate the expansion of its AI computing power. According to a previous Bloomberg report, Alphabet raised its full-year capital expenditure forecast to a maximum of $205 billion in July to further solidify its leading position in the AI race.

Data centers are ramping up their deployments, targeting the advantages of carbon-free energy and power grids.

The new data centers will be located in Kajaani, Muhos, and Vaara in northern Finland. Google stated that one of the core considerations for the site selection was leveraging the local grid infrastructure adjacent to carbon-free energy sources.

Asta Sihvonen-Punkka, CEO of Finnish transmission system operator Fingrid Oyj, said that these projects are located at nodes with strong grid conditions, which helps improve the overall stability of the power system while reducing grid expansion costs.

At the same time, Google will expand its supporting energy infrastructure , including signing new wind power agreements and deploying a 94-megawatt energy storage battery system at the Kayani data center to help with grid peak shaving. All new data centers are equipped with waste heat recovery interfaces, allowing for the reuse of heat generated by the data centers in the future.

Telecom operator Elisa Oyj and network equipment supplier Nokia will provide network connectivity services for these data centers.

Finland's economy is under pressure, but Google's investment injects new momentum.

For Finland, which is currently under economic pressure, the implementation of this investment is particularly important. This Nordic country has long faced multiple pressures, including weak domestic demand and fiscal austerity, and its unemployment rate has exceeded 10%, which is relatively high among EU member states.

Google expects the project to support more than 37,000 jobs nationwide during its construction , with about 16,000 of them coming from the construction industry. Once the data center is operational, it will support about 7,000 jobs annually, covering suppliers and local service industries.

In fact, Google had already purchased land in northern Finland to reserve space for future data center expansion. This €13 billion investment signifies a further acceleration of its long-term strategy in Finland.

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