Sesterce, a French firm, commits €10 billion to build an AI data center campus in Finland.

French AI infrastructure group Sesterce will invest more than €10 billion ($11.2 billion) to build a data center complex in central Finland, joining a surge of foreign technology investment in the Nordic country.

The facility will rise on the site of a former paper mill in Jamsa that closed in 2021. Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2026, delivering 200 megawatts of capacity, with a second phase expanding to 600 megawatts. Sesterce has already secured an anchor customer for the development, though the company did not identify the client. Over the longer term, it aims to build more than 1 gigawatt of AI capacity across Finland, targeting existing industrial sites as market demand dictates.

Finland's cool climate, abundant renewable power and available industrial land have established it as a magnet for data center operators. Microsoft and Google have both committed to major investments in the country in recent years, drawn by the same advantages.

For Sesterce, which specializes in AI infrastructure, the Finnish project represents one of its most ambitious undertakings to date as the company expands its footprint across Europe amid surging demand for computing power.

Local officials in Jamsa have welcomed the investment as a potential boost for a region that lost jobs when the paper mill closed. The data center could create construction and operational employment, though Sesterce did not provide specific figures.

The €10 billion commitment, if fully realized, would rank among the largest foreign investments in Finland's technology sector. Longer-term expansion beyond 600 megawatts would depend on market conditions.

Finland has positioned itself as a hub for sustainable data centers, with its grid increasingly powered by nuclear, wind and hydroelectric sources—an energy mix that appeals to technology companies seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their AI operations.