How Verne Will Expand its Helsinki Data Centre for AI Growth

Verne is expanding its sustainable Helsinki data centre with the strategic acquisition of land at its existing campus. 

The leading Nordic provider of sustainably-powered high-performance computing (HPC) data centres hopes to secure room for future expansion, whilst also supporting growing demand for sustainable solutions to develop AI and other high-intensity compute.

This purchase marks another milestone in Verne’s ambitious growth strategy for the Nordics, following the recent announcement of its new facility to be built in Mäntsälä, Finland.

“The acquisition of this site reinforces Verne’s long-term commitment to Finland and provides an even stronger foundation for our continued growth in the region,” says Dominic Ward, CEO of Verne.

Meeting AI and HPC requirements

Verne Global specialises in HPC and AI workloads, which is supported by Iceland's remarkable renewable energy resources which offer cost-effective and environmentally responsible infrastructure.

The company has plans to further develop the site in Helsinki by leveraging its 70MW capacity to meet increasing demand for sustainable HPC infrastructure. The land was acquired from Onvest, a family-owned company with a long history in the region.

Currently, the existing campus serves a number of high-profile multinational customers, with its strategic location providing connectivity to power and fibre networks. Close proximity to Helsinki Airport, combined with easy access to the city centre, make the campus ideal for organisations across multiple industries looking for reliable, accessible and well-connected facilities. 

Designed with high-density compute in mind, the planned expansion from Verne will include two new buildings fully equipped to meet the technical requirements of AI, HPC and other intensive workloads.

Catering to the needs of AI is becoming more of a necessity in the data centre industry, as customer demand continues to skyrocket. Operators are now having to scale to meet increased needs for power and compute, whilst also having to tackle how to keep emissions down.

Dominic adds: “We’ve seen a huge uplift in demand, and having successfully operated from this location for a number of years, we are well-positioned to scale our capabilities and continue delivering industry-leading, sustainable data center solutions to support the next generation of AI and high-performance computing.”

A sustainable challenge

Verne prides itself on having consistently delivered access to cost-effective renewable energy and international connectivity spanning Europe and North America for its international clients. As a result, organisations have often selected the company if they are running HPC workloads, including AI, machine learning and large language models (LLMs). 

Sustainability therefore remains at the core of Verne’s growth strategy, which means the Helsinki campus is run on 100% renewable energy. 

Additionally, waste heat generated by the data centre is repurposed through a direct connection to the local district heating network of Helsinki. 

Solutions like heat reuse are being touted more frequently across the data centre industry, as excess heat from these facilities could prove instrumental in saving energy costs and provide heat to other buildings in the local area.

Additionally, all new facilities by Verne will be built to support liquid cooling, which will enable efficient management of the high heat levels generated by AI and other intensive compute workloads. 

This design makes the existing heat reuse infrastructure even more vital, as it facilitates the effective capture and repurposing of waste heat.

Explore the latest edition of Data Centre Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Tech & AI LIVE and Data Centre LIVE. 

Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today. 

Data Centre Magazine is a BizClik brand