Google will invest at least €13 billion ($15.1 billion) in Finland over the next two years, tying one of Europe’s largest AI infrastructure commitments to an equally significant expansion of its energy strategy. The investment will cover data centers and supporting infrastructure across Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala during 2027 and 2028. Google describes the commitment as its largest single investment in Europe, extending a Finnish presence that began more than 15 years ago. The scale also puts Finland deeper into the competition for AI infrastructure that increasingly depends as much on available electricity and grid capacity as computing hardware.

The announcement carries another strategic element: Google has signed a 22-year power purchase agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum covering the Loviisa nuclear power plant. The agreement contracts up to 50% of the plant’s capacity and provides Fortum with long-term revenue certainty for its planned lifetime-extension and power-upgrade program. Loviisa currently supplies about 10% of Finland’s electricity and employs approximately 580 people. The arrangement connects Google’s expanding compute footprint with a long-duration electricity supply strategy rather than treating data center construction and power procurement as separate decisions.

Google Expands Across Four Finnish Infrastructure Locations

Google’s spending will support infrastructure and partnerships across Hamina, Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, expanding its Finnish footprint beyond the company’s established Hamina operation. Its existing Hamina data center grew from a converted former paper mill and has operated for more than 15 years. The new investment will support services including Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube while strengthening infrastructure available for broader European digital demand. Google expects the buildout to increase its ability to support AI workloads as demand for computing capacity continues to reshape infrastructure investment.

Northern Finland plays an important role in that expansion because the company intends to locate new infrastructure near strong grid points and carbon-free electricity resources. Google is working with Fingrid and Business Finland to identify locations that can accommodate new demand while limiting unnecessary additions to electricity-network infrastructure. This approach turns grid geography into a central part of site selection rather than an issue addressed only after data center locations have been chosen. Moreover, it illustrates how the next phase of AI infrastructure development increasingly links compute capacity with transmission availability and generation.

Google said its expansion will also support employment and wider economic activity associated with construction and operation of the new infrastructure. Once operational, the facilities are projected to support about 7,000 jobs annually, according to the company. The investment also includes dedicated nature and community funds focused on biodiversity, education, research and workforce development. That broader package gives Finland an opportunity to convert large-scale digital infrastructure investment into longer-term industrial and technical capacity.

Nuclear Agreement Anchors Google’s Power Strategy

The Fortum agreement represents one of the most consequential components of Google’s Finnish expansion because it provides a long-term commercial foundation for extending the operating life of Loviisa. Fortum said the 22-year PPA covers the plant’s lifetime-extension period and contracts up to half of its capacity. Without the lifetime-extension investment program, the plant could not continue operating beyond 2030, according to Fortum and Google. The agreement therefore connects future AI electricity demand with keeping an existing source of low-carbon generation available to Finland’s grid through 2050.

“We are proud to have called Finland home for the past 15 years, and as we grow our footprint in the country, it’s critical that we work with local energy partners, such as Fortum, to understand what the grid needs and invest in energy solutions that deliver long-term resilience and affordability for all electricity customers,” Aris Karcanias, Director of Energy, EMEA at Google, said.

“By supporting the lifetime extension of the Loviisa plant, which is located close to our data centre in Hamina where we first put down our roots in Finland, we’re doing our part to keep a critical energy source on the grid, mitigating system impacts from meaningful capacity going offline in the south of the country. As we work with Fortum and other partners to bring new renewable capacity and flexible solutions to the Finnish grid alongside our growth, we hope to develop a blueprint for responsible integration of AI into European energy systems.”

The companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding covering potential new nuclear generation, renewable capacity, flexibility solutions and energy portfolio management services. Google and Fortum plan to explore business models that could improve the commercial viability of potential new nuclear reactors at the Loviisa site.

Wind and Battery Capacity Join the Buildout

Google’s Finnish energy strategy extends beyond nuclear power. The company announced additional onshore wind PPAs with Valorem and Suomen Hyötytuuli, bringing the new-to-grid onshore wind capacity supported by Google in Finland to 629 megawatts. Google is also working with partners to enable its wind portfolio to participate in Fingrid’s ancillary markets. Those measures could give the electricity system additional balancing resources while Google expands its own consumption.

A contracted 94-megawatt battery system near Google’s Kajaani site adds another layer to the power strategy and is expected to become operational in late 2027. The battery will provide flexibility to the Finnish grid and help manage periods when electricity supply conditions tighten, including cold and low-wind periods. Combining nuclear generation, wind contracts, storage and grid coordination reflects the increasingly complex electricity requirements surrounding large AI infrastructure deployments. Rather than relying on a single generation source, Google is assembling several resources around its expected Finnish growth.

Finland Links AI Growth With Grid Capacity

Finland offers characteristics that have become increasingly valuable as AI infrastructure grows more power intensive: a highly decarbonized electricity system, significant generation capacity, established transmission infrastructure and a climate that can support efficient data center operations. Google’s decision shows how those characteristics can influence where large pools of computing investment move within Europe. Access to land and fiber remains important, but reliable electricity supply now carries considerably greater strategic weight in major AI infrastructure decisions.

“Finland is an attractive destination for investments, and attracting further investment remains a top priority. Google’s decision is a clear testament to our strengths. The value of the data economy extends far beyond direct investment into spurring innovation, research, and development. Deepening our collaboration with Google will deliver lasting benefits for both parties,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.

Fortum President and CEO Markus Rauramo said the partnership can support both digital investment and Finland’s energy system. “Finland has a unique opportunity to turn its decarbonised, reliable electricity system and robust industrial infrastructure into a foundation for the next wave of sustainable industrial growth.” He added that long-term partnerships provide the visibility required to invest in low-carbon generation capacity, strengthen energy security and support new digital and industrial investment.

Google’s Finland Bet Goes Beyond Data Centers

The €13 billion commitment makes Finland more than another destination in Google’s European infrastructure expansion. It effectively combines data center construction, AI capacity, nuclear generation, renewable electricity, battery storage and grid planning within one national investment program. Therefore, the significance of the announcement lies not only in its headline capital expenditure but in how closely Google has tied compute expansion to the electricity system supporting it. That linkage could become increasingly important as European markets assess how much new AI infrastructure their grids can accommodate.

For data center customers and AI users, Finland’s buildout also demonstrates why the location of future compute capacity will increasingly depend on infrastructure outside the server hall. GPU availability matters, but the ability to secure electricity for decades, maintain grid stability and add generation alongside demand can determine whether large computing campuses reach their intended scale. Google’s Finnish commitment places those dependencies inside the investment strategy from the beginning. The result is a major European AI infrastructure expansion built around both computing capacity and the power architecture required to sustain it.