Microsoft has officially acquired land just outside Helsinki in Espoo, Finland.
The city of Espoo announced this week that it has sold approximately 21.6 hectares of land in Hepokorvenkallio, Högnäs, to Microsoft for a data center project. The purchase price is approximately €30.9 million ($33.7m).
Specifications of the planned data center – described by the City as the Hepokorve data center and to be located along Ring III in Hepokorpe – were not shared, but the facility will connect to Fortum’s upcoming district heating network.
Though the business and competitiveness division of the Espoo City Council decided on the deal on October 3, 2022, the deal entered into force on November 8, 2023, after a Supreme Administrative Court decision saying the deal couldn’t be appealed and the zoning plans were binding.
Microsoft first announced plans for a Finnish cloud region in March 2022. Microsoft is also planning to build data centers in Kirkkonummi and near Nummela in Vihti.
In 2021, the city of Espoo granted approval for a data center at Hepokorvenkallio, located between Lake Bodom and the Kehä III:n beltway, close to Fortum's heating system. Fortum was on the hunt for a suitable candidate.
