Google is set to invest an extra €450m (£385m) into its Finnish data centre, the web giant has revealed.
Based in a mill formerly owned by paper company Stora Enso, the Hamina data centre in Southern Finland has already seen €350m (£300m) in investment since it was purchased in March 2009.
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It serves Google users across Europe and around the globe, with Google claiming the Hamina data centre to be one of the most advanced and efficient operations in its data centre fleet.
Taking advantage of the Bay of Finland's cool climate, the Hamina data centre is cooled by seawater that is returned to the bay at a temperature friendly to the local environment after being filtered through a series of tunnels and pipes.
Hamina currently employs more than 90 staff including computer technicians and mechanical engineers, with over 90 per cent of current staff from the local Finnish community.
Investment in the data centre will create more jobs, a welcome boost for Finland which has seen its technology sector hit by the decline of Nokia.
"We have an excellent education system. Finland's strength is in finding creative solutions to global challenges," said Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen on a visit to the Hamina site.
Northern countries such as Finland are increasingly attractive to data centre firms due to the cost-saving benefits offered by their cooler climates, which don't require the use of air conditioning to keep datacentres at a reasonable temperature.
