Data centers are critical infrastructure for a digital society and a significant growth sector for Finland. The Finnish Data Center Association (FDCA) has formulated eleven government programme objectives to strengthen Finland’s position as a reliable destination for data center investments and to ensure that we can fully capitalize on the opportunities these investments bring.
Goal: Finland is a reliable and attractive investment environment for data centers
- National strategy: A national data center strategy shall be developed to strengthen the predictability of the investment environment. The strategy shall build on previous data center roadmap work, focusing on high-value-added data centers and strengthening the domestic ecosystem and innovation.
- Grid development and connection process: Long-term investments in electricity grid development shall be continued. Efficient utilisation of grid capacity shall be ensured by establishing allocation criteria that prioritise project maturity and significance, updating the Electricity Market Act as necessary.
- Taxation: High-value-added data centers shall be restored to the same electricity tax category as other industries. This will strengthen Finland’s position as a destination for data center investments relative to other Nordic countries.
- EU advocacy: Finland shall actively influence EU regulation related to data centers. It is in Finland’s interest that the EU broadly requires data centers to utilize waste heat, minimise their water footprint, and set binding energy efficiency requirements.
- Permitting: Investment permitting shall be streamlined without compromising the level of environmental protection. Adequate resources for permit authorities and appeals processing shall be ensured, and statutory time limits shall be set for confirming the sufficiency of permit materials and for processing cases. The green transition priority procedure for data center projects in permitting shall be continued.
- Communication networks: Secure and resilient fibre-optic networks and international backbone connections shall be strengthened to safeguard Finland’s competitiveness and security of supply.
Goal: Finland’s data center ecosystem is strong and we are able to fully capitalize on the opportunities brought by data center investments directed here
- Heat recovery:The utilisation of heat produced by data centers shall be promoted through steering mechanisms that incentivise heat producers and district heating companies, as well as by supporting industrial innovations that utilise heat.
- Data center industry clusters:A national data center industry cluster initiative shall be launched to support the growth and diversification of emerging data center areas in locations favourable from the perspective of energy production and the electricity grid. The clusters shall serve as a platform for high-value-added innovation by bringing together data center operators, energy producers, heat recovery actors, technology suppliers, research and educational institutions, and municipalities.
- Innovation programme:A national innovation programme shall be launched to develop sustainable data center solutions and to increase the export of products and services. The EU’s forthcoming competitiveness fund shall be utilised.
- Data center sector training: The capacity of local construction, consulting, and product companies to participate in data center projects shall be strengthened through rapid upskilling and reskilling programmes. Cooperation between data centers and educational institutions shall be improved, and a nationwide data center sector training framework shall be established.
- Sovereignty:The role of the data center industry in strengthening Finland’s and Europe’s digital sovereignty shall be recognised, and Finland’s position as a provider of reliable AI, cloud, and high-performance computing capacity to European markets shall be promoted.