The planned size of the data center project is 30 MW, and it will be built on a 5.5-hectare industrial plot. The project complex under preparation represents an investment of several hundred million euros.
The design phase of the project has already been launched. During the design phase, Polarnode will prepare the project complex for a later investment decision. Polarnode aims to complete the project by the end of 2025.
“The area’s central location, first-class data transmission connections, zoning that allows construction, and the electricity grid reinforcement investments prepared for the area enable rapid progress in the project planning. Efficient cooperation with the City of Nokia has also contributed to the advancement of the project,” commented Mikko Toivanen, Chairman of the Board of Directors and co-founder of Polarnode Oy.
The project will have significant employment impacts in the Nokia business area during the various phases of the data center construction and operation. The 2–3-year construction phase will employ up to hundreds of local construction experts. When the facility is put into operation, it will create permanent jobs in tasks such as maintenance, supervision, security, and operations management. In addition to direct employment impacts, the project will generate tax revenue, increase demand for local accommodation and restaurant services, and open up various training and research opportunities, for example in the data center industry and energy technology.
“We are very pleased that Polarnode has chosen the city of Nokia as the location for its data center. The negotiation process and cooperation have been excellent from the start. The project will bring new vitality to our region and strengthen the city’s role in developing digital infrastructure. Polarnode is a domestic player that develops and builds the project, and the project’s compact size means that its environmental and energy impacts remain under control. Data center projects also support security of supply and digital service production at a national level,” says Nokia Mayor Eero Väätäinen.
The Nokia project is one of the data center projects currently under development in Finland by Polarnode. On March 25, the company announced a billion-euro data center investment in Pajarila, Lappeenranta, and Polarnode’s overall project portfolio is over 500 MW. The company’s goal is to make Finland a hub for successful and sustainable data center business in Europe and to permanently embed the value and benefits created by the industry into the domestic business environment.
“Global data center demand is expected to quadruple by 2030. Finland has an excellent opportunity to build expertise and create growth around the data center industry. Data center projects are very diverse entities, and require extensive specialist expertise in areas such as technology, energy technology, construction, circular economy, and data and software expertise. We believe that Finnish companies have the opportunity to grow into internationally significant players in the data center industry,” Toivanen continues.
Polarnode founders Toivanen and Kalle Pykälä have previously been involved in preparing, financing, and building over a billion euros in investments in wind and solar power as founders of the renewable energy company Ilmatar.
Contact information:
Mikko Toivanen, Chairman of the Board, Polarnode Oy
Tel. 0500 595 471, mikko.toivanen@polarnode.fi
Eero Väätäinen, Mayor, City of Nokia
Tel. (03) 5652 0001, eero.vaatainen@nokiankaupunki.fi
About Polarnode
Polarnode Oy is a Finnish data center developer. Our vision is to enable the world’s cleanest data centers.We develop, build and maintain data centers for our customers – reliably and sustainably. www.polarnode.fi