TikTok to build second €1B data centre in Finland
TikTok is set to invest €1 billion in a new data centre in Finland, marking its second major infrastructure project in the country within a year as it ramps up efforts to localize European user data.
The facility will be built in Lahti, southern Finland, and is part of the company’s broader push to strengthen data protection and comply with increasing regulatory scrutiny across Europe, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The new data centre forms part of TikTok’s wider €12 billion European data sovereignty initiative, aimed at enhancing privacy safeguards for more than 200 million users in the region.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
The Lahti site will launch with an initial capacity of 50 megawatts (MW), with the potential to scale up to 128 MW as demand grows.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been under pressure globally to improve transparency and security practices, particularly regarding how user data is stored and accessed.
Finland has become a key destination for large-scale data infrastructure projects, attracting tech giants with its:
- Cold climate, which reduces cooling costs
- Low-cost, low-carbon electricity
- Stable regulatory environment within the EU
Companies like Microsoft and Google have already invested heavily in the country, reinforcing its status as a European data hub.
Despite the economic benefits, TikTok’s expansion has not been without controversy.
Finnish politicians previously raised concerns over transparency and national security when the company’s first data centre project in the country was revealed in 2025.
Questions were also raised about oversight and whether authorities had been sufficiently informed about the scope of the investment.
TikTok’s first Finnish data centre, located in Kouvola, is expected to become operational by the end of 2026.
The newly announced Lahti facility is scheduled to be completed by 2027, further expanding the company’s European data infrastructure network, which already includes centres in Norway, Ireland, and the United States.
The investment highlights TikTok’s strategy to address regulatory concerns by keeping European user data within the region, at a time when governments are tightening rules on tech platforms—especially around privacy and child safety.
As scrutiny intensifies, infrastructure investments like these are becoming central to how global tech firms maintain access to key markets while rebuilding trust with regulators and users.
By Aysel Mammadzada
Similar news
