atNorth plans EUR €2 billion Salo data centre in Salo

atNorth plans to develop a new data centre in Salo, Finland, as part of its wider expansion across the Nordic region.

The planned site, known as FIN05, will be built on a 28.6-hectare site in the south-west Finnish town. Power for the first phase, set at 75MW, has already been secured, with a route to as much as 230MW for the wider development through a Fingrid substation connection.

atNorth expects to invest about EUR €2 billion in the Salo site. Customer-owned servers and their installation could add a further estimated EUR €10 billion.

Salo is within reach of Helsinki and Finland's technology workforce, factors that supported the choice of location. The site is intended to serve customers with high demands for connectivity and resilience.

Energy plans

Alongside the construction plans, atNorth aims to enter long-term power purchase agreements with local energy suppliers. It is also examining flexibility arrangements that could support the operation of Fingrid's transmission grid.

The company will work with local stakeholders to assess whether heat produced by the facility can be reused, reflecting similar arrangements already established in Finland, Sweden, and Denmark.

In Finland, atNorth has a heat reuse collaboration with Kesko Corporation. It has also announced projects with Stockholm Exergi in Sweden and with Vestforbrænding and Selected Group in Denmark.

The Salo development adds to a pipeline of Nordic projects that includes sites in Stockholm and Sollefteå in Sweden, Haugaland in Norway, Ølgod in Denmark, and Kouvola in Finland. atNorth is headquartered in Reykjavik and operates seven data centres across the region.

A local development partner has also been involved in preparing the site. Regant worked with atNorth and the municipality on what they described as a development-ready location with the scale and planning status required for a large data centre project.

"FIN05 is an opportunity to develop critical digital infrastructure while working with the region to create lasting local value," said Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, Chief Executive Officer of atNorth.

"We are exploring how local energy partnerships, flexibility solutions, and heat reuse can contribute to the wider energy system and community. We look forward to working with Salo and regional partners as the project develops," Kristinsson said.

For Salo, the project is expected to bring construction activity and permanent operations roles while adding to the area's industrial base. The municipality said the investment also underlines the town's appeal for large digital infrastructure projects.

"We are delighted to welcome this investment to our region," said Anna-Kristiina Korhonen, Mayor of the City of Salo.

"The new data centre will create valuable employment opportunities during both construction and ongoing operations, while generating wider economic benefits for local businesses. This development strengthens our position as an attractive destination for innovative industries and supports sustainable long-term growth for our community," Korhonen said.

Regant said the project reflected work already undertaken to align land, planning, and electricity access for prospective investors. That groundwork is increasingly important as developers seek sites that can offer both large power allocations and room for expansion.

"This project demonstrates Salo's potential as a location for major digital infrastructure investment," said Matti-Juho Ervasti, Partner at Regant Oy.

"We have worked closely with atNorth and the municipality to provide a development-ready site, with the scale, planning readiness, and power roadmap needed for large data centre projects," Ervasti said.