Google has broken ground on its first Norwegian data center and has set ambitious environmental targets.
The €600 million facility in Skien, 130 km south of Oslo is set to come into operation in 2026. Google bought the land - 2,000 acres - from forest owner Leopold Løvenskiold back in 2019.
Google said the data center is expected to create more than 100 jobs, while a study by Deloitte, commissioned by the firm, estimates that it will generate €0.59 billion in value between 2024 and 2025.
"This project will contribute to significant economic ripple effects in the region," said Google's Norway manager, Tine Austvold Jensen. "Now that we are starting construction, we are looking forward to a long-term and very good partnership."
The energy used by the new data center will be 99% carbon-free, and, like Google's other data centers around the world, should hit net zero emissions by 2030 for both the data center itself and for the on-site offices.
There are plans - as yet unspecified - to use the waste heat from the site for the benefit of the community.
The project has been given grid access for 240 MW of capacity - while Google originally applied for a total of 840 MW, it's currently in a queue for the rest.
The Norwegian data center industry is booming
The new data center is just one of a growing number in the country. In a recent report, industry body the Norwegian Data Center Industry concluded that the data center industry in Norway is growing rapidly, with investment in the industry in the coming years expected to reach between €1.8 billion and €2.7 billion per year.
RELATED WHITEPAPER
The country's biggest players are Green Mountain, Bulk Data Centers, Stack Infrastructure, Lefdal Mine Datacenter, Orange Business, and AQ Compute.
Together, they have an installed capacity of 501 MW, of which around 150 MW is currently being used, and between them have applied for a further 1,555 MW.
"Data centers are important building blocks of our digital infrastructure. Without the data center industry, important areas of society within the health, energy and transport sectors would stop functioning," said Linda Helleland, Norwegian minister of regional development and digitalization.
"Norway has an important role to play in further developing this industry."
-
Security experts issue warning over the rise of 'gray bot' AI web scrapersNews While not malicious, the bots can overwhelm web applications in a way similar to bad actors
-
Does speech recognition have a future in business tech?Once a simple tool for dictation, speech recognition is being revolutionized by AI to improve customer experiences and drive inclusivity in the workforce
-
Meta wants to join the big tech nuclear clubNews Meta has become the latest big tech company to explore the use of nuclear energy to power data centers.
-
Data centers will be critical to UK economic growth in the coming decade – but researchers have warned of a ‘data doomsday’ unless energy infrastructure is improvedNews With TechUK calling for improved grid connections and easier access to renewable energy, a new study warns that the world's entire electricity supply may not be enough
-
Europe needs more energy and better grids to meet data center power demands in the age of AINews Data center energy demands in Europe are set to triple by the end of the decade, and that means countries will need to boost investment in sustainable power sources and upgrade grid infrastructure.
-
Data center water consumption is spiraling out of controlNews Energy usage might be front of mind amid the AI era, but surging data center water consumption is raising serious concerns among industry stakeholders
-
Google and Microsoft's staggering electricity consumption was greater than 100 countries in 2023 — and in the age of generative AI, experts say it’s only going to increaseNews Spiraling data center energy demands on the back of generative AI are largely to blame for the figures
-
Google's greenhouse gas emissions have skyrocketed in the last five years – and soaring AI energy demand is the main culpritNews Google is struggling to balance long-term sustainability goals while keeping pace with key competitors in the generative AI race
-
Data center power demands are skyrocketing, and Google thinks geothermal energy is the key to producing ‘round-the-clock’ clean electricityNews Google’s new partnership with Nevada-based NV Energy will provide clean, reliable geothermal energy to power its data center ambitions
-
Inside Google’s plan to use data center waste heat to warm nearby homes and businessesNews Google said waste heat will be reused as part of $1 billion investment to support AI growth
