Helsinki Times
Summary
Microsoft has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire about 190 hectares of land in western Finland for a potential new datacentre development, extending the company's expansion in a country that has become a growing destination for cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The southern Finland development is being built in stages across three campuses. According to Microsoft, more than 3,500 people are currently employed on construction work, with the workforce expected to reach around 4,500 this summer and peak at roughly 7,500 workers during the project.
The company has also linked the project to Finland's energy transition. Through a partnership with Fortum, waste heat from the future datacentres will be captured and fed into district heating networks serving Espoo, Kauniainen and Kirkkonummi. Microsoft estimates the system could eventually supply around 40 per cent of the heating demand for approximately 250,000 district heating customers and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by about 400,000 tonnes.
Continue Reading
#News#DistrictHeating#DataCenter