Google announces 450 mil euro expansion of Hamina Data Center with 100% renewable power

Remember when data center expansion was a dark secret?  Years ago Google’s Dalles data center had a sign from locals with “Voldemort.”  Thanks to the positive impact of data centers for local economies and data centers that use 100% renewable energy the company PR effect is worth sharing for company’s who have great brands.  Google, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft are some.  Amazon.com is the one noticably absent from this list.

There were rumors that there would be an announcement from Google in Hamina.  Here are some pictures Google shared.  I chose these two because they show more of the buildings.

For the full press release here it is.

Google welcomes Prime Minister Katainen to Hamina data center, announces EUR450 million expansion

4 November 2013 -- Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen today joined Google at its Hamina data center as the company announced a EUR450 million expansion.

The expansion comes on top of an already announced EUR350 million in investment.

"Finland needs more foreign direct investments in order to enhance our economy, growth and employment. The government accepted the national investment promotion strategy last December,” the Prime Minister said. “In the strategy, the ICT sector, including data centers, has been emphasized as one of the priority sectors. Therefore, Google’s investment decision is important for us and we welcome it warmly."

“We’ve received a wonderful welcome in Finland and are delighted by the country’s strong infrastructure and business-friendly environment,” said Dieter Kern, Google’s Data Center Manager. “That’s why we’re happy to build out our capacity to deliver the lightning fast, easy to use services that people expect from Google.”  

Google purchased the Summa Mill from Finnish paper company Stora Enso in March 2009, with plans to convert the 60 year old paper mill into a modern data center. The first phase of the facility became operational in September 2011 and now serves Google users across Europe and around the world.

Initial construction work converting the paper mill’s first machine hall into a data center lasted just over 18 months. At its peak, the new construction will provide work for approximately 800 engineering and construction workers, most of whom will be Finnish.

The existing Hamina data center already is one of the most advanced and efficient in the global Google fleet. Its high-tech cooling system, which uses seawater from the Bay of Finland, reduces energy usage and keeps our computers running smoothly, and is the first of its kind anywhere in the world.  Starting 2015,the center will be primarily powered by wind energy coming from a new onshore wind park, as announced last June. As the center consumption increases, we'll also conclude additional similar agreements to power the center with 100% renewable energy"

The facility already employs approximately 125 in full time and contractor roles across engineering, technical work, security, food service, and buildings and grounds maintenance.  This does not count new jobs which will open thanks to the present expansion. All of our open positions can be found on Google Jobs page for positions in Finland.  

“As demand grows for our products, from YouTube to Gmail, we’re investing hundreds of millions of euros in expanding our European data centres,” says Anni Rokainen, Google Finland Country Manager.   “This investment underlines our commitment to working to help Finland take advantage of all the economic benefits from the Internet.”

This new investment will support a region hard-hit as its key paper industry retrenches. It comes in addition to a strong community outreach program in the Hamina region.  In the spring of 2013, Google announced a new partnership with Aalto  University and the regional development agency Cursor.  

With Google's financial support, Aalto and Cursor are supporting programs to improve the use of the Internet by local small and medium-sized enterprises. Cursor is strengthening the Venture Gym acceleration program around the growing Playa Game Industry Hub, as well as the region's Kaakko 135 travel and tourism initiative.   Already, some 800 people and dozens of companies in the region have participated in Aalto-Cursor workshops, not only in the region, but also in Helsinki, London and Cambridge.

“Our ambition is nothing less than to jumpstart Internet innovation in Eastern Finland," says Will Cardwell,  Aalto University Senior Advisor, Global Alliances. "The Google data center in Hamina offers Eastern Finland a tremendous opportunity to jump from the industrial to digital age."

“Google’s decision to locate one of Europe’s largest and most modern datacenters into Kotka-Hamina Region sends a strong message,” adds Hannu Karavirta, CEO of Cursor, the regional development agency. “It shows Kotka-Hamina is the place to be for various new ventures; it provides employment opportunities for hundreds of professionals and the ongoing operatio

A good perspective on Google's Data Center efforts, myth vs. reality

Mike Manos writes a great post on Google’s latest rumors.  To give you the perspective of Mike let’s start with the end.

Editors Note: I have many close friends in the Google Infrastructure organization and firmly believe that they are doing some amazing, incredible work in moving the industry along especially solving problems at scale.   What I find simply amazing is in the search for innovation how often our industry creates things that may or may not be there and convince ourselves so firmly that it exists. 

Mike then starts at the beginning of speculate on what Google would do with a deep earth mining equipment.

Google Purchase of Deep Earth Mining Equipment in Support of ‘Project Rabbit Ears’ and Worldwide WIFI availability…Posted on October 31, 2013

(10/31/2013 – Mountain View, California) – Close examination of Google’s data center construction related purchases has revealed the procurement of large scale deep earth mining equipment.   While the actual need for the deep mining gear is unclear, many speculate that it has to do with a secretive internal project that has come to light known only as Project: Rabbit Ears. 

and Mike References an excellent point of a floating data center.

While the technical intricacies of the project fascinate many, the initiative does have its critics like Compass Data Center CEO, Chris Crosby, who laments the potential social aspects of this approach, “Life at sea can be lonely, and no one wants to think about what might happen when a bunch of drunken data center engineers hit port.”  Additionally, Crosby mentions the potential for a backslide of human rights violations, “I think we can all agree that the prospect of being flogged or keel hauled really narrows down the possibility for those outage causing human errors. Of course, this sterner level of discipline does open up the possibility of mutiny.”

Read all of Mike’s post.  It tells a story of how what is a myth vs. reality and how much myth gets told as the truth.  

All is fare in the fight for media traffic.

Google Floating data center, may be a store

Now there is more news out there that the reported Google Floating Data Center is a Google Glasses Store.

San Francisco's bay barge mystery: Floating data center or Google Glass store?

After CNET reported Google may be building a floating data center in San Francisco Bay, a report suggested it's actually a floating Google Glass store. Either way, it's almost certainly Google.

Google increasing capacity in Hamina, reported spending $150 mil euros

Sometimes I wonder if this really news, but it is good to reference when there is a public disclosure.  Google’s data center group is adding capacity.  Ooh, I am so excited. :-)  What would be really big news is if Google was shutting down facilities.  Not going to happen any time soon.  Reuters reports on the latest that there will be a Nov 4 event for Google in Hamina.

After an initial investment of 200 million euros ($275.65 million), it announced on August 12 an additional 150 million in spending.

Sources said the company plans to announce another round of investment in early November, although it was unclear how much it would be. A government official confirmed Prime Minister Jyrki Katinen would attend an event at Hamina on November 4.

Google's West and East Coast Floating Data Centers, taking a trip to South America?

CNET news reports on the 2nd spotting of Google’s Floating data center in Portland, Maine.

The registration on the Portland barge is "BAL 0011," which ties it to the barge in San Francisco Bay, which has the registration number "BAL 0010." Both are owned by By and Large, LLC.

(Credit: Tom Bell/Portland Press Herald)

If that wasn't enough to establish that the two are related, it's also clear that both were built on barges owned by the same company. The one in San Francisco Bay was built on top of a barge with the registration "BAL 0010," while the one in Portland harbor is on a barge with the registration "BAL 0011." According to online documents, both are owned by By and Large, LLC. That company, which has a miniscule online profile, is also the current tenant in Hangar 3, an immense building alongside the pier where the San Francisco Bay project is under construction.

With one in the SF Bay and the other in Portland that puts a Floating data center on each coast.  I wouldn’t think there is a plan to send these cross the Pacific and Atlantic.  Seems easier to build these in Taiwan or Amsterdam if you wanted them on the other side of the Ocean and minimize the risk of making a cross ocean excursion.

It will be interesting where these show up.  I would guess if the floating data centers move, they would move to South America to provide data center capacity like I wrote about earlier.