Sesterce to Invest $10bn in 600MW AI Data Center Campus in Jämsä, Finland

French AI and supercomputing infrastructure developer Sesterce has unveiled plans to build a $10 billion AI data center campus in Jämsä, Finland, repurposing the site of the former Kaipola paper mill in what the company describes as a landmark industrial transformation for the region.

The project marks one of the largest announced AI infrastructure investments in the Nordic region to date. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, with the campus designed to deliver 200MW of capacity in its first phase before scaling to 600MW in a second phase. Sesterce said it aims to ultimately develop more than 1GW of capacity across Finland, positioning the country as a key hub for AI and high-performance computing workloads in Northern Europe.

Sesterce has committed to enabling one megawatt of newly built renewable generation capacity on the Finnish power grid for every megawatt the campus consumes, to be fulfilled within 10 years of the campus becoming operational. The site will also feature a closed-loop liquid cooling system supplemented by harvested rainwater and recycled water, alongside a $10 million community fund to finance local projects in Jämsä. According to the company, an anchor customer has already been secured for the site.

"For more than six decades, the Kaipola mill produced paper for the world. Now, a new generation of industry is being planned for the site," said Youssef El Manssouri, CEO of Sesterce. "Our goal is to preserve the area's industrial identity while making use of existing infrastructure, including the power grid, water systems, buildings, and logistics connections."

El Manssouri added that the campus will rely on liquid cooling, high energy efficiency, and controllable and flexible power consumption, with opportunities for utilizing waste heat also being considered as part of the design.

Jämsä Mayor Jori Reijula welcomed the proposal, saying the city needs new investments, business activity, and jobs. "The Sesterce project is an interesting opportunity to strengthen the vitality of the region, provided it progresses from plans to implementation and meets the applicable requirements," Reijula said. "The redevelopment of the Kaipola site would be a welcome opportunity to give the area a new lease on life and support job creation in Jämsä."

The project reflects a broader trend of AI infrastructure developers seeking out legacy industrial sites in the Nordics, where abundant renewable energy, cool climates, and existing grid connections offer advantages for power-intensive computing. Sesterce previously announced a $471 million investment to develop an AI data center in Valence, France, underscoring its ambitions to expand its European footprint.