MUMBAI: Google is giving Finland a very cool reason to warm up to AI, announcing at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) of investment in the country over 2027 and 2028, its largest single investment in Europe.
The spending will go towards expanding data-centre capacity and supporting electricity-grid improvements, clean-energy projects and battery infrastructure for services including Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube.
Google expects the investment to add about $3.6 billion to Finland’s GDP during the construction phase. Once the facilities are operational, they are projected to support around 7,000 jobs each year.
Finland’s combination of a cold climate and access to low-carbon electricity has made it an increasingly attractive destination for energy-intensive data centres. Microsoft and ByteDance are among other technology companies pursuing data-centre investments in the country.
Google has operated in Finland for 15 years, with its Hamina data centre occupying a former paper mill. Between 2023 and 2025, the Hamina operations supported a network of more than 600 Finnish suppliers involved in construction, operations and network infrastructure.
The company is also putting €31 million into communities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala over the next four years. The funding will support education and economic development, including AI training for more than 4,400 workers and training opportunities for 100 Finnish students looking to build careers in data centres.
Google’s Finnish expansion is not stopping at servers. The company plans to support the country’s energy infrastructure through a 22-year agreement linked to extending the life of the Loviisa nuclear power plant.
Its plans also include additional onshore wind capacity and a 94-megawatt battery system designed to help stabilise electricity prices during cold, windless periods.
Google said it will fund projects to restore native forests and wetlands around its sites, while also supporting community infrastructure such as recreational trails, public saunas and fishing piers.
“The new digital infrastructure will serve as building blocks for Finnish and broader European digital readiness, innovation, and AI development,” Google said.
Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo welcomed the investment, calling it “a clear testament to our strengths”. He added that the value of the data economy extends beyond direct investment by helping drive innovation, research and development.
With €13 billion going into servers, power and skills, Google’s Finnish bet shows that the AI race is increasingly as much about infrastructure on the ground as intelligence in the cloud.
