ByteDance is investing €2 billion into two data center facilities in Finland, located in the cities of Kouvola and Lahti. This investment is part of a larger €12 billion European data localization effort known as Project Clover, which aims to keep European user data within the EU borders.
The facilities are designed to serve more than 200 million European users. Both sites are expected to become operational by 2027, although the Kouvola site may extend its buildout into 2028.
The Kouvola facility will start with an initial capacity of 50 MW, with a potential scale-up to 150 MW. The Lahti site will also launch with 50 MW and may increase its capacity to 128 MW over time.
The choice of Finland was driven by the country's cold climate, which reduces server cooling costs, and its availability of renewable energy sources, including wind and hydropower.
The infrastructure is focused on secure data storage and processing for compliance and user data management, rather than powering AI workloads. This move comes as the EU tightens digital governance through the Digital Services Act and the Data Act.