Icelandic data services company Atnorth plans to build a new data center on the banks of the Kuvu River in southeastern Finland, with a maximum power capacity of about 60 megawatts initially. The company has acquired 21 hectares of land to provide ample space for the construction of new projects. Construction is expected to begin as early as next summer. CEO Eyjólfur Magnus Kristinsson has confirmed the plan and estimates that the project will cost between 1 billion and 2 billion euros, but the final size of the new facility has not yet been determined.
The data centre will be built in Myllykoski, close to UPM's waste paper mill, which has been closed for more than a decade. During construction, Atnorth will recruit workers from as much as possible locally and will require hundreds of workers to work in the area for several years. The first phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, will have a maximum power capacity of approximately 60 megawatts and hundreds of megawatts of power capacity when completed.
In addition, three other data centers in Finland are located in the capital region, while the south-eastern region has long hosted the construction of other data centers. For example, in 2011, Google built its first data center in the city of Hamina. Therefore, the construction of Atnorth's new data center will bring more development opportunities to the region and further promote the development of the data center industry in Finland.