Nscale has announced plans to build a data center in Harjavalta, Finland. Nordic energy company Fortum will serve as site development partner. The facility will sit in the Sievari industrial area, on land owned by the Town of Harjavalta. Fortum has signed a site securing and development agreement with Nscale. Under the agreement, Fortum will support grid connection design, zoning, and permitting. In parallel, Nscale and the Town of Harjavalta have begun preliminary discussions toward a land sale of the Sievari site.
Fortum laid the groundwork for this development back in June 2024. At that point, it signed a planning reservation agreement with the Town of Harjavalta covering marketing, zoning, and grid connection support. That agreement marked the first phase of advancing the area for future infrastructure investment. The partnership with Nscale therefore represents the next formal step, moving the project from site preparation into active development with a committed operator.
Why the Nordic Region Attracts AI Infrastructure Investment
The Nordic region has established itself as one of the most strategically attractive markets for AI data center development. It combines renewable energy availability, favorable natural cooling conditions, and stable regulatory environments. Finland in particular offers access to clean power at scale. Moreover, Fortum’s generation portfolio draws on sources with some of the lowest carbon intensity in Europe. These characteristics align directly with the requirements of high-density AI infrastructure, where sustained power delivery and cooling efficiency shape both operational cost and sustainability performance.
Nscale’s expansion into Finland adds to a growing Nordic footprint that already includes facilities in Norway and Iceland. The company has built its infrastructure model around energy-efficient, high-density AI compute. Its choice of Harjavalta consequently reflects the same logic driving broader Nordic data center investment. The total power capacity of the planned facility has not yet been determined. It will be confirmed during subsequent design and permitting phases.
What the Agreement Covers
Fortum’s role under the site securing and development agreement focuses on supporting the smooth progress of Nscale’s project development. This includes grid connection design and permitting assistance. Additionally, Nscale is working toward a preliminary land purchase of the Sievari site from the Town of Harjavalta. The Mayor of Harjavalta, Hannu Kuusela, confirmed the town’s support for the project, citing employment creation and local economic strengthening during both construction and operation phases.
“This cooperation reflects our broader strategy to enable low-carbon growth by providing customers with the right conditions to build scalable, sustainable operations in Finland. These types of projects play a key role in driving electrification and digitalization in our societies,” said Jyrki Holappa, Customer Site Development Director at Fortum.
“The Nordic market, and Finland specifically, offers unique advantages that align perfectly with our commitment to sustainable, high-density infrastructure,” said Markus Päivinen, Managing Director for Finland and Baltics at Nscale. “We look forward to contributing to the local economy, collaborating with local energy providers, and delivering cutting-edge compute capacity that will fuel the next generation of digital services in Finland throughout Europe.”
