Region is already home to Europe's fastest supercomputer
Google has acquired land in Finland's Kajaani and Muhos for future data center development
The €27 million ($28.5m) deal gives Google 1,400 hectares of land across four parcels
The land was acquired from the state-run forest agency Metsähallitus
Muhos is a municipality in northern Finland
while Kajaani is a town to its east in the municipality of Kainuu
"It is a great pleasure to welcome Google to Kajaani," Jari Tolonen
"Our data center ecosystem has been growing fast during the past years
and Google’s plan for the development of digital infrastructure is again a very positive signal for Kajaani
We in Kajaani have invested heavily in developing the data center ecosystem
and we are ready for a long-term and diverse cooperation with Google."
Kajaani is home to Lumi, Europe's most powerful AI supercomputer, as well as a government facility and a Borealis data center. All three are set on the site of an old paper mill in Kajanni, which DCD visited for the next issue of our magazine
Google's new land parcels are not at this mill
but the company's current Finnish data center is built out of a converted paper mill in Hamina
the company takes advantage of existing infrastructure to use seawater for cooling
In May, Google announced a €1bn ($1.055bn) expansion to the site
bringing Google’s total investment in Finland to more than €4.5bn
the data center will provide 80 percent of the heat demand for the local neighborhood
Finland has been home to our Google data center in Hamina
and we're dedicated to supporting the country's growing digital ambitions," Antti Järvinen
"Even before a final investment decision is made for the development of the sites in Kajaani and Muhos
we are working in close consultation with local and national stakeholders on a plan that supports the long-term health of the community’s economy and natural resources
This is the first step in a long process."
Acquiring the land does not guarantee that the company will build a data center there - it has a history of banking land
sometimes reselling it in the future and developing elsewhere
"I’m very pleased about Google’s announcement," Petteri Orpo
"This acquisition builds a foundation for possible future investments and sends a clear message that we have managed to establish Finland as an interesting and secure country for investments
Government reforms are aiming to make Finland an even more attractive place for investments
and hard work has set us on the right path."
Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia
Open image viewerFile photo of Google's data centre in Hamina
Image: GoogleYle News28.11.2024 17:40•Updated 28.11.2024 18:11Multinational tech giant Alphabet
the parent company of search engine Google
has announced plans to expand its data centre infrastructure in Finland
The expansion will involve the purchase of parcels of land in the municipalities of Muhos and Kajaani
which the government gave wildlife Agency Metsähallitus a green light to approve on Thursday
The acquisition of the lands — covering some 1,400 hectares — will cost the company an estimated 27 millions euros
while the expansion of the data centre network in Finland could potentially create hundreds of jobs in the Muhos and Kajaani region
The plans were confirmed at a Thursday evening press conference jointly hosted by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Sari Essayah (CD)
Open image viewerMap of the area.Announcing the plans
Orpo noted the "historical" significance of the investment
"This deal forms a foundation for any potential future investments and sends a clear message that Finland is an attractive and safe country for investments," Orpo said
Minister Essayah noted that although Metsähallitus sells and rents land areas
"The sale and the potential investment it enables will play a significant role in helping the region fully exploit its potential in terms of economic growth
competence development and the availability of labour," Essayah said
Google already operates a large data centre in Hamina, southeast Finland, employing about 400 people. The company announced earlier this year that it will expand its operations at the centre
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U.S. tech giant Google has purchased approximately 1,400 hectares of land at Muhos and Kajaani in Finland
to expand its cloud and data center infrastructure; as reported by Daily Finland
According to a government press release, the Finnish government authorized the state-owned forest agency Metsähallitus to sell four parcels of land
are part of Metsähallitus’ business assets
Google has operated data centers in Finland since 2011
contributing significantly to job creation
with thousands of direct and indirect roles generated during construction phases
Google’s data center campus in Hamina employs around 400 full-time staff
The planned expansion is expected to have a substantial impact on employment
Metsähallitus oversees the commercial management of state assets
including the sale and leasing of land and water areas for business activities
land transactions of this scale are relatively rare in Finland
The planned use of the areas will require statutory land-use planning
Google’s decision regarding the utilization of these land areas will depend on the outcomes of the land-use planning framework and permitting processes
Metsähallitus will not be involved in the project development or the business and production activities proposed for these areas
Metsähallitus sought statements from the Ministry of the Environment
These statements indicated no obstacles to proceeding with the transfer
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Google has acquired land for two future data centres in Kajaani and Muhos in Finland.
The four plots with a total area of 1,400 hectares that cost Google €27 million were acquired from Finland’s publicly-owned forestry and water agency, Metsahallitus.
Land sales on this scale are rare in Finland, official sources said, although Metsahallitus’s business activities include exploiting the state assets assigned to it by selling or renting out areas of land and water.
Google has been operating data centres in Finland since 2011, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs during construction. Its current Finnish data centre is based at a converted paper mill in Hamina where the company has been able to take advantage of existing infrastructure by using seawater as a cooling system.
Google announced €1 billion expansion plans for the site in May, bringing the company’s total investment in Finland to more than €4.5 billion. Equally interesting from a local point of view, the data centre will provide 80 per cent of the neighbourhood’s heating needs by next year.
“For more than a decade, Finland has been home to our Google data centre in Hamina, and we’re dedicated to supporting the country’s growing digital ambitions,” said Antti Jarvinen, Google’s Finland director.
“Even before any final investment decision is made for developing the sites in Kajaani and Muhos, we are working in close consultation with local and national stakeholders. This is the first step in a long process.”
The Hamina centre employs approximately 400 people full-time at present, and the impact of the future Kajaani and Muhos centres on employment is expected to be significant.
In the meantime, Kajaani’s mayor Jari Tolonen declared that it was “a great pleasure” to welcome Google.
The town is already home to the Large Unified Modern Infrastructure (Lumi), Europe’s most powerful supercomputer, which is owned by the European Commission’s EuroHPC Joint Undertaking.
The Borealis data centre, owned by a French investment firm, is also located in Kajaani, as well as a Finnish government facility.
“Our data centre ecosystem has been growing fast over the past years,” the mayor said, adding that Google’s plans for developing digital infrastructure was very positive for the town, for Kainuu region, and also for northern and eastern Finland.
“We in Kajaani have invested heavily in developing the data centre ecosystem,” he said, “and we are ready for a long-term and diverse cooperation with Google.”
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On Friday dozens of firefighters were still onsite, after a large swath of forest was lost to a major fire that broke out on Monday in Muhos, northern Ostrobothnia.
250 hectares of forest has now gone. Forest expert Matti Lappalainen helped put out the blaze and said the scale and ferocity of the fire surprised him.
Open image viewerFirefighter drives an all-terrain-vehicle through the sooty forest. Image: Risto Degerman / Yle"I came here to the area on Monday as it was burning and now, afterwards to take a look. It's quite a heartbreaking sight," said Lappalainen, who's become very familiar with the forests of Muhos over the past decade.
Extinguishing such a large-scale blaze doesn't happen overnight. Small embers hidden underground can flare up for weeks after the forest floor has been quenched, a situation that may result in firefighters standing by at the site for quite a while to come.
In addition to the fire and rescue department, conscripts from the Kainuu Brigade also assisted.
Open image viewerConscipts from the Kainuu Brigade assisted in fighting the fire. Image: Risto Degerman / YleAt 10pm on Wednesday 23 conscripts arrived at the scene and worked at fighting the conflagration until six the following morning. After a couple of hours rest, the conscripts went back to battling the fire into the afternoon.
After that, another crew from the garrison arrived to replace them.
Corporal Anthony Whelan said this was the first time he'd been involved in fighting a forest fire.
"This is interesting [work], not your ordinary day as a conscript," he explained.
Open image viewerView from above. Image: Timo Nykyri / YleThe work is physically demanding, as forest fires aren't extinguished by water alone.
Deposits of peat, particularly along ditches, can hide underground fires, so water is sprayed into them, and then the workers need to dig up the heavy, soaked peat to make sure a new fire doesn't start.
Open image viewerA small creek was spared by the blaze. Image: Risto Degerman / Yle"This is rough, sweaty work. The boys will certainly sleep well tonight," the brigade's senior lieutenant Teijo Nurmikumpu said.
Once the fire is completely extinguished, work can begin on salvaging what's left of the forest. Forest expert Lappalainen said the scorched timber won't be suitable for anything besides burning it as biofuel or firewood. The forest's floor was also charred and many animals were lost in the blaze.
Open image viewerMuhos forest blackened by the blaze. Image: Risto Degerman / YleBut Lappalainen said he found at least one thing comforting in all the devastation.
"Burnt forests are always replaced with new forests, it can't be prevented. But how and when is up to the forest owners," Lappalainen said.
northern Ostrobothnia say they have managed to contain a 250-hectare forest fire that began on Monday afternoon and raged into the early hours of Tuesday morning
However they say that it continues to burn within the containment area
"A wide zone of hundreds of metres is still burning," said on-duty fire chief Heikki Levón of the Oulu-Koillismaa fire and rescue department
He noted that there is still a risk that the blaze could spread
"We are a bit afraid this morning that as the wind picks up it might spread again
but we are working very hard to prevent it
It has not by any means been put out," Levón added
The fire chief pointed out that the forested area around the perimeter is still very dry and added that the fire was able to rapidly spread over the tinder-dry terrain because of strong winds that changed direction
"Overnight rain did not really subdue the blaze," he said
noting that as the wind shifted the fire was already advancing beyond the containment boundary
forest fires destroy between 300 and 800 hectares of land annually
with the largest blazes ranging from 50 to 100 hectares in size
Levón said that the 250-hectare blaze in Muhos is extremely large by Finnish standards
The wildfire is just a few kilometres from a settlement and lies about 30 kilometres southeast of Oulu
On Monday smoke from the wildfire blanketed Muhos but could also be detected in Oulu
Muhos residents have been cautioned to remain indoors
to keep doors and windows shut and to turn off air circulation systems
Fire officials said that the fire is also advancing in part because it is spreading from treetop to treetop
"There are pine heaths that are allowing the fire to spread from treetops
The terrain in the burning area is variable," Levón said
Open image viewerForest fires destroy between 300 and 800 hectares of land every year in Finland
Image: Marko Väänänen / YleHe added that some of the area on fire also includes mixed forests with different types of vegetation
He said that it was difficult to rein in the fire because there are few roads in the area
there were no natural water reservoirs so they had to be built
"It’s a difficult terrain with long distances and difficult to move in
It’s quite laborious to get water on site because we have to put down lines for several kilometres."
Kainuu and Lapland responded to the fire and were assisted by the Defence Forces
By Tuesday morning there were some 60 officials on site
Defence Force and Border Guard helicopters were also assisting with the operation
"We are bringing in new people all the time to work so that others can get some rest," Levón said