Google plans 13 billion Finland infrastructure investment for 2027-2028

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) plans to invest at least €13 billion in digital infrastructure in Finland during 2027 and 2028, covering data centres and related infrastructure across four locations.

The company said the investment, its largest single investment in Europe, will include facilities in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala and will provide infrastructure for services including Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube.

Google has operated in Finland since purchasing a former paper mill in Hamina in 2009 and converting the site into a data centre. According to the company, its Hamina operations supported more than 600 Finnish suppliers between 2023 and 2025 across construction, operations and network infrastructure, including DNA, Elisa and Nokia.

Google estimates GDP and employment contribution

During the initial 2027-2028 construction phase, the company expects the investment to contribute an annual average of €3.6 billion to Finland’s gross domestic product and support more than 37,000 jobs nationwide.

Google estimates that around 16,000 of those jobs will be in construction, generating an average of €911 million in annual labour income across the sector.

Once the facilities are operational, they are projected to support 7,000 jobs annually, with average wages estimated at 24% above Finland’s median wage.

The Hamina facility forms part of Google’s global network of 43 cloud regions. The company said organisations including Nokia, Elisa and the City of Hamina use its infrastructure to provide services and develop AI-based applications.

Energy agreements include nuclear, wind and battery capacity

Google also announced several energy agreements associated with the planned infrastructure expansion.

The company signed a 22-year life-extension power purchase agreement with Fortum covering the Loviisa nuclear power plant. The facility currently supplies 10% of Finland’s electricity and employs approximately 580 people. According to the supplied information, the plant could not continue operating beyond 2030 without the lifetime-extension investment programme.

Google and Fortum also signed a memorandum of understanding to examine potential cooperation on additional flexibility and electricity generation capacity.

Separately, Google entered into onshore wind power purchase agreements with Valorem and Suomen Hyötytuuli. The agreements bring the total new-to-the-grid onshore wind capacity supported by Google to 629 megawatts.

A 94-megawatt battery system is also planned near Google’s Kajaani site and is expected to connect to Finland’s electricity grid in late 2027.

Google additionally announced a partnership with Fingrid and Business Finland to identify locations for infrastructure and connections designed to work with the electricity grid.

€31 million allocated to community programmes

Google plans to invest €31 million over four years in community initiatives in Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, including €10 million allocated to research and innovation.

The programmes will include support for municipal energy projects involving solar installations and heat pumps for low-income households, as well as energy-efficiency renovations in public buildings.

Through Google.org’s AI Opportunity Fund, more than 4,400 workers are expected to receive artificial intelligence skills training. Google will also establish a workforce development programme with EKAMI to train up to 100 Finnish students over one year for data centre-related careers.

The company also plans ecological restoration work on former forestry land adjacent to its data centre sites, including the regeneration of native forests and conservation of peatland and wetland areas.

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