Nebius announced plans on Tuesday to establish a significant AI data center in Lappeenranta, Finland, which is poised to become one of Europe’s largest facilities for artificial intelligence infrastructure. This ambitious project aims to address the increasing demand for computing power as the AI sector continues its rapid expansion. With a projected capacity of up to 310 megawatts (MW), Nebius anticipates that it will begin serving customers by 2027.
In a statement, Nebius CEO Arkady Volozh expressed enthusiasm about the company’s growth in Finland, stating, “We have been building in Finland for many years and are pleased to be expanding our presence here.” He added that Lappeenranta would play a crucial role in the company’s global AI infrastructure strategy, significantly aiding their capacity objectives.
This announcement comes amid a wave of AI infrastructure developments across Europe. Just this week, French AI startup Mistral secured $830 million in debt financing to operate a new data center near Paris. Earlier this year, it revealed plans for a €1.2 billion ($1.38 billion) investment in data centers in Sweden. Similarly, U.K. startup Nscale raised $2 billion earlier this month, achieving a valuation of $14.6 billion, with intentions to develop AI data centers in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S.
In a notable collaboration last year, OpenAI partnered with Nscale to introduce a Stargate-style AI data center in Norway. There are also substantial proposals in France, including a 1.4 gigawatt (GW) AI campus, spearheaded by MGX, Bpifrance, Mistral, and Nvidia, alongside Brookfield’s commitment to invest up to $9.9 billion in AI data infrastructure in Sweden.
Despite these ambitious undertakings, Europe faces significant hurdles in building out its AI infrastructure. High energy costs compared to the U.S., along with difficulties in connecting projects to national grids, present ongoing challenges. Energy supply remains a pressing issue as the region seeks to efficiently scale AI capabilities.
Headquartered in the Netherlands and publicly traded in the U.S., Nebius has quickly established itself as one of Europe’s leading neocloud providers for AI computing services. The company aims to achieve over 3 GW of contracted power by the end of the year, further solidifying its market position. In the EMEA region alone, Nebius has secured more than 750 MW of contracted power, including a planned AI factory near Lille, France, which is expected to reach a capacity of 240 MW when fully operational.
Earlier this month, Nebius also received approval for its first gigawatt-scale AI data center, slated for Missouri, U.S., marking another significant step in its ambitious expansion strategy. In premarket trading, Nebius shares saw a 2.4% increase, reflecting growing investor confidence in the company’s future prospects amid a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
As demand for AI-driven technologies continues to surge, the establishment of robust data centers like Nebius’s Lappeenranta facility is critical for Europe to remain competitive in the global AI landscape.
Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/31/nebius-finland-ai-factory-europe-compute.html
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Publish Date: 2026-03-31 13:45:00
