Google will buy half the electricity from one of Finland's nuclear power plants(bbc.com)
373 points by lukaspetersson 45 days ago | 341 comments
tl;dr: Google is investing €13bn in Finland to build three new data centres and expand an existing one, its largest single European investment. As part of the deal, it signed a 22-year contract with utility Fortum to purchase up to 50% of the output from the Loviisa nuclear plant, which produces roughly 10% of Finland's electricity. Finland's cool climate, low-carbon power, and uncongested grid have made it a hotspot for AI infrastructure, with TikTok also announcing a $1bn data centre there this week.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Finland's low-emission electricity makes it a sensible location for data centres
  • ↓The deal is a PR stunt that doesn't actually add new power infrastructure
  • ↓Google contributes little to Finland economically via taxes or employment
  • ~Skepticism about whether Google is genuinely adding clean energy capacity (additionality)
  • •Questions the long-term need for so many data centres given efficiency improvements