HELSINKI, Finland: TikTok parent ByteDance is investing €2 billion in two data centres in Finland as part of its broader European data-localisation programme, Project Clover.
The facilities in Kouvola and Lahti will store and process data for TikTok’s more than 200 million European users. TikTok expects both sites to begin operations by 2027.
The Kouvola site will start with 50 megawatts of capacity and could expand to 150 MW. TikTok also expects Lahti to begin at 50 MW, with potential capacity of 128 MW.
Finland’s cold climate can reduce server-cooling requirements, while its hydropower and wind resources provide additional advantages for large data centre operations.
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TikTok projects the Kouvola facility will create about 360 permanent jobs. TikTok’s Project Clover represents a planned €12 billion investment in European data infrastructure.
The programme focuses on keeping European user information within the region under tighter access and governance controls.
The Finnish facilities will primarily store and process data securely rather than handle dedicated artificial intelligence workloads.
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ByteDance previously announced €1 billion for the Kouvola project and another €1 billion for Lahti, according to the supplied material.