The company already has a data centre in Hamina at the site of the old Summa Mill from the Finnish paper company Stora Enso that cost them close to €800 million in 2009.
“The demand for Google services is growing daily and we are building our data centre infrastructure to match this demand,” said Antti Jarvinen, Google’s Finland country head to Reuters.
The new facility will sit within the company’s existing data centre campus in Hamina, adding to the currently site, which houses one of the most advanced, and efficient data centres in Google’s portfolio. It uses seawater from the Bay of Finland as part of its advanced cooling system.
The news comes only months after Google CEO Sundar Pichai has outlined plans for a $13bn investment into new data centres and offices across the US, with some located in new areas. Throughout 2019, Google will spend close to $13 billion into new data centres and sites, with large scale expansions planned across 14 states.
In a blog post, Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said that the widespread adoption of Google’s technology solutions by retail, gaming, financial services and manufacturing organisations had influenced the decision.
Kurian added that leading Japanese brands such as the drinks company Asahi Group Holdings and IT service management firm Kyocera Communication Systems had chosen Google Cloud to “help them push the boundaries of digital transformation in their industries”.
