Microsoft plans to build a new data center zone in southern Finland. The datacenters will run entirely on renewable energy and provide heat to the surrounding cities of Espoo and Kauniainen in Finland. On Thursday, the corporation published its ambitions in a news post.
Microsoft’s cloud computing infrastructure network continues to grow at a rapid rate. The new Finnish datacenter zone will join a global network of more than 60 datacenter regions and 280,000 kilometers of land and subsea fiber. Businesses, government organizations, and other partners in the region will benefit from the new Finnish datacenters.
Jobs and heat
According to IDC, Microsoft may generate over 11,000 professional IT jobs in the area, according to a study sponsored by the business.
Microsoft will work with the Fortum Corporation to transform waste heat from data centers into district heating for the towns of Espoo and Kauniainen in Kirkkonummi, Finland.
Sanna Marin, the Prime Minister of Finland, said that the decision to invest in a data center that also provides heat for cities and homes is a win-win initiative that will accelerate the country’s digital growth while making the energy system greener.
Clean energy and strategic partnership
Marin expressed her hopes that the collaboration will serve as a model for cities and countries looking to achieve transformation in both climate action and digital competitiveness.
Markus Rauramo, the president and CEO of Fortum, shared his thoughts about the announcement, saying that developing solutions for global challenges with partners is a strategic priority for his company.
He added that by tapping into the waste heat from data centers, Fortum could provide clean heat for homes, businesses, and public buildings in the capital area of Finland, reducing emissions by up to 400,000 tons of CO2 every year.
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