Post by : Rohit Dhiman

French artificial intelligence infrastructure company Sesterce is preparing one of its biggest overseas projects with plans for a massive AI investment in Finland worth more than €10 billion, or around $11.21 billion. The project will be developed in Jämsä, central Finland, on the site of the former Kaipola paper mill. The industrial facility closed in 2021, but its existing infrastructure could now get a completely new purpose as the location for a large-scale artificial intelligence computing campus. Sesterce says the planned facility will focus on high-performance computing and infrastructure required for advanced AI workloads. The project comes as demand for computing power continues to rise because of the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence applications, data processing and machine learning.

A major AI project planned for Jämsä

The proposed Sesterce Finland project will be developed in stages rather than built at its full planned scale immediately. Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2026, with an initial capacity of 200 megawatts. The company expects the second phase to increase the campus capacity to 600 megawatts. In the longer term, Sesterce plans to develop more than one gigawatt of AI computing capacity across Finland. The company says future expansion will depend on market demand and the availability of suitable industrial locations. Sesterce has also confirmed that it already has an anchor customer for the Jämsä project, although the company has not publicly identified the customer.

Why the old paper mill site matters

One of the most notable aspects of the project is the decision to reuse an existing industrial site. The former Kaipola paper mill already has important infrastructure, including connections to the electricity network, water systems, buildings and logistics links. Sesterce intends to make use of these facilities rather than developing a completely new site from scratch. The company says this approach can reduce the environmental impact normally associated with building a large technology campus on undeveloped land. For Jämsä, the plan also represents a major change in the future use of a site that once supported the paper industry for decades. The transformation from paper manufacturing to advanced computing infrastructure reflects the broader shift taking place across Europe, where former industrial sites are increasingly being considered for energy-intensive technology projects.

Thousands of jobs expected during construction

The planned AI data centre Finland project is also expected to create a significant number of jobs. Sesterce estimates that around 2,000 people could be employed during the construction phase. Once the campus becomes operational, approximately 300 employees are expected to work at the site. The company has said it intends to rely primarily on Finnish contractors and subcontractors during construction. That could provide opportunities for local businesses and workers as the project moves forward. For Jämsä, the investment could therefore have an impact beyond the technology sector, potentially supporting construction, engineering, logistics, services and other parts of the local economy.

Focus on renewable energy and efficient cooling

Because large computing facilities require substantial amounts of electricity, energy use is one of the biggest issues surrounding modern AI infrastructure. Sesterce says it wants the Jämsä campus to operate with a strong focus on renewable energy. Under one of its commitments, the company plans to enable one megawatt of newly built renewable generation capacity in Finland's electricity grid for every megawatt consumed by the campus, within 10 years of the facility becoming operational. The company has also said that its cooling system will not rely on drinking water. Instead, the planned facility will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system supported by collected rainwater and recycled water. Liquid cooling is particularly relevant for advanced AI computing because powerful processors generate large amounts of heat. More efficient cooling can help data centres manage these systems while controlling energy and water consumption.

€10 million community fund planned

The company has announced a €10 million community fund linked to the Jämsä campus. The fund is expected to support local projects after the facility becomes operational. Sesterce says the projects would be selected by the City of Jämsä together with local residents. The planned campus could also include facilities accessible to the wider community, including restaurants and education and learning spaces. Areas containing the core AI infrastructure would remain separate and protected for security reasons. Sesterce says the commitments connected to the project will be measured and independently audited, with results expected to be publicly reported each year.

Finland is becoming an important AI infrastructure market

The announcement comes as Finland attracts increasing interest from international technology companies looking to expand computing infrastructure in Europe. The country offers a combination of industrial locations, electricity infrastructure and conditions that can support large computing facilities. The reuse of former industrial sites is also becoming an important part of Finland's strategy for accommodating new technology investments. Sesterce's planned campus adds another major project to this growing technology landscape. The scale of the proposed Finland AI data centre also highlights how quickly the requirements of the artificial intelligence industry are growing. AI systems require increasingly powerful computing resources for training, inference and other workloads, creating demand for specialised facilities capable of supporting high-density computing.

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From paper production to AI computing

The proposed Jämsä development has a particularly striking industrial story behind it. The Kaipola site was previously associated with paper manufacturing before the mill closed in 2021. Sesterce now wants to use the same industrial location for a completely different type of activity: large-scale AI computing. The company says reusing the existing site can help preserve its industrial identity while taking advantage of infrastructure that is already available. If the project progresses according to plan, the location could become an important European computing hub and demonstrate how older industrial properties can be adapted for the technology economy.

The long-term goal goes beyond Jämsä

Sesterce's ambitions in Finland extend beyond the initial Jämsä campus. The company says it ultimately aims to build more than one gigawatt of AI capacity across Finland. Future facilities would be developed on existing industrial sites and according to actual market demand. That means the Jämsä project could potentially become the starting point for a wider Finnish expansion rather than a standalone development. The first 200 MW phase will therefore be closely watched as the company moves from its announcement toward construction and eventual operations.

What the investment means for Europe's AI race

The proposed Sesterce AI investment comes at a time when European countries are trying to increase their domestic computing capacity and reduce dependence on infrastructure located outside the region. Large AI systems require enormous computing resources, and access to reliable electricity, specialised data centres and advanced computing hardware is increasingly becoming an important part of national technology strategies. Sesterce's plan fits into this wider European push by combining high-performance computing with renewable energy goals and the redevelopment of an existing industrial site. For Finland, the project could bring substantial investment, employment and new technology infrastructure. For Sesterce, it represents an opportunity to establish a major AI computing presence in one of Europe's increasingly important technology markets.

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