Pan-European and Middle East hyperscale cloud and AI data centre platform Pure Data Centres Group announced it has launched what will become one of Finland’s largest ever inward investment projects, and the largest ever by a UK company. Reports say Microsoft is among the customers who will lease capacity at the site.
Phase 1 will see investment of over €1.5 billion for a 110MW AI campus, with the site in Seinäjoki, western Finland, capable of scaling to a +€7.5 billion, 550MW+ campus for AI workloads, subject to the necessary permissions and contracting. Phase 1 is already fully leased, with the substation for the first data hall, constructed and live, and all planning permissions and power requirements secured.
At +€7.5 billion, the full Seinäjoki campus will be one of Europe’s largest ever AI infrastructure projects. In collaboration with its local partner, SDC Ventures, the development will provide over 3,000 jobs during the decade-long construction. The company said the project will also improve local electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.
Flexibility
Designated SJK01, the full campus is set within 370 acres and targeted to support over 550MW of IT capacity for mass-scale AI and machine learning workloads. With access to more than 700MVA of renewable power, the campus will benefit from low energy costs and a highly stable grid.
The development strategy is based on repeatable 40MW ‘AI-ready’ modules, built with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) to support the high-density thermal demands of next-generation hardware. High density data halls will be developed which are based on a modular design, which will offer flexibility for future customer requirements, offering either air-cooled or liquid-cooled solutions. Both cooling approaches use closed-loop systems maintaining zero water use in operation.
“Countries building AI infrastructure over the next decade will shape the global economy for the next fifty years", Gary Wojtaszek, Executive Chairman & Interim CEO of Pure DC said. "Finland has all the ingredients required to lead this transformation - world class engineering talent, abundant renewable energy and a culture of innovation that gave rise to Nokia. We are not building data centres in Seinäjoki. Together with our partners, including the Seinäjoki Municipality, we are helping create one of Europe’s most important AI ecosystems capable of supporting global tech leaders as well as the next generation of Finnish entrepreneurs and innovators.”
Local communities
Pure DC says it's committed to working with local communities near current and future operational locations. In Seinäjoki this includes developing a long-term skills pipeline through collaboration with Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and vocational institutions. It aims to provide specialist skills training with a path to immediate post qualification employment, helping to reskill an area of Finland traditionally associated with forestry and paper-milling. SJK01 will also deploy waste heat management, allowing for district heating programmes.
“Our partnership between the Seinäjoki region, and Pure DC has been forged over the past two years, and I’m excited to see this part of our regional development strategy come to life", said Jaakko Kiiskilä, Mayor of Seinäjoki Municipality. "This project will bring major employment to the Seinäjoki area for years to come, and across many skills and trades. As well as the construction jobs and permanent roles there will be many other benefits for the area – business rates and property tax will be reinvested to benefit local residents, waste heat from the data centre will be repurposed for our district heating network, and our partnership will also see Pure DC investing across a number of education and reskilling initiatives. Our joint belief is that this campus can be a catalyst for the creation of an even larger ecosystem of entrepreneurs, supply chain industries, and employment for residents.”
