Nebius, an AI cloud company, has announced the commencement of construction of a new AI factory in the Finnish city of Lappeenranta. The facility will have a capacity of up to 310 MW, with the first capacity from the Lappeenranta AI factory expected to be available to customers in 2027.

Sustainability and Design Features

According to a press release from Nebius, sustainability will be a key design principle for the Lappeenranta AI factory. The electricity sourcing will reflect Nebius's predominantly low-carbon energy mix. Servers will be cooled using a closed-loop liquid cooling system, eliminating the need for the AI factory to rely on water intake from local supplies and thus keeping water consumption to a minimum. The cooling system will be designed to integrate a heat recovery system, opening the opportunity for excess server heat to be donated to the local district heating network. This approach mirrors the system at Nebius's Mäntsälä facility, where it avoided approximately 4,000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions associated with heat production in 2025 and reduced heating costs for connected households by around 10 percent.

Facility Specifications and Economic Impact

The Lappeenranta AI factory is a multi-building campus on a ca. 100-acre industrial site, and aims to bring substantial economic and employment benefits to the South Karelia region of Finland. The construction phase is expected to create up to 700 skilled construction jobs, mostly sourced in the Lappeenranta area, with around 100 permanent positions once the data center is operational, as well as hundreds of indirect employment opportunities for operations and maintenance.

City of Lappeenranta Mayor Tuomo Sallinen welcomed the announcement, saying, "Lappeenranta offers an increasingly attractive environment for innovation, with our universities playing a key role in developing top talent tailored to the needs of high-tech industries. The new data center will position our city at the forefront of Finland's AI ecosystem, and help meet Europe's growing demand for artificial intelligence for decades to come."

Expansion of Finnish Operations

The construction of the Lappeenranta AI factory follows Nebius's recent expansion of its first Finnish data center in Mäntsälä up to 75 MW, completed earlier this year. The Mäntsälä facility houses Europe's first operational deployment of the NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 platform, and Nebius intends to offer the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 platform starting later this year. The company plans to expand further in Finland in the future as it continues its global capacity build-out. "We have been building in Finland for many years and are pleased to be expanding our presence here. Lappeenranta represents a significant addition to our global AI infrastructure build-out and will make a significant contribution to achieving our capacity goals," said Arkady Volozh, founder and CEO, Nebius.

Global Expansion Plans

In addition to its Finnish locations, Nebius is building an AI factory near Lille, France, that will have a capacity of 240 MW when fully deployed. Nebius is targeting more than 3 GW of contracted power by the end of 2026. As part of this, the company recently secured approval for its first gigawatt-scale AI factory in Independence, Missouri. In the EMEA region, the company has already secured more than 750 MW of contracted power across its own sites and colocations.

Discover Latest Data Center Projects in Finland with Ease

Are you seeking reliable, up-to-date insights into upcoming data center Projects in Finland?

Explore the Global Project Tracking (GPT) platform by Blackridge Research, your go-to resource for the latest oil and gas projects and tenders across all stages:

• Upcoming Projects

• Tender Notices

• Contract Awards

• Projects Under Construction

• Completed Projects

Book a Free Demo today and see how the GPT platform can help you unlock opportunities and achieve your business goals.