The globally recognised Nordic colocation and artificial intelligence service provider, atNorth, has declared remote expansion in Finland. A substantial 21-hectare 'mega site' named FIN04 is to be constructed in Kouvola, about 139KM northeast of Helsinki and 52KM from the city of Hamina. This endeavour will be atNorth's tenth data centre within the prestigious Nordics realm and its fourth in Finland. The new data centre asserts atNorth's growth strategy in response to enormous demand for sustainable data centres accompanying the escalation in AI use and other high-performance computing.
The construction of FIN04 is due to commence promptly and operational readiness is anticipated for the second half of 2025. Upon completion of the pilot phase, the site will provide an immediate power supply of 60 megawatts (MW), extending to several hundred megawatts over time. The advanced location, equipped for both colocation customers and build-to-suit projects, will propel atNorth into further sustainable development and high-performance services.
atNorth's CEO, Eyjolfur Magnus Kristinsson, described this development as “another hallmark moment for atNorth”. “We are in ongoing discussions with several AI companies, hyperscalers as well as international organisations requiring High Performance Computing, who see the clear benefit of moving to the Nordics to decarbonise their IT workloads. In alignment with our vision, we are pioneering the future-proofed data centre infrastructure across the Nordics” he added.
The site of Kouvola, recognised firmly for its sustainability practices, is a crucial factor in the development venture. Mayor of Kouvola, Marita Toikka, remarked that atNorth's responsible business investment will "advance digitalisation in an environmentally responsible way." In partnership with the city of Kouvola and energy partner, KSSEnergia, atNorth aim to implement a heat reuse system that encapsulates the city's promotion of a circular economy.
The heat reuse capabilities are a key feature of the new data centre, propelling the site's sustainability further as they allow the recycling of the excess heat for possible reuse within the local community. Marko Riipinen, CEO of KSS Energia, indicated excitement over working in collaboration with atNorth in order to set a sustainable example for prospective businesses in meeting environmental targets.
atNorth has unveiled a series of acquisitions and constructions across Finland, contributing to the company's expanding portfolio within the Nordic nations. The recent years have seen atNorth acquire two data centre sites along with the construction of a third facility in Finland, and plans to develop a 30MW data centre in Denmark expected to be operational by the end of 2024. Adding Gompute to the portfolio, a facility in Sweden now offers a full stack HPC-as-a-Service option.