Finland supports Nokia-led consortium’s expression of interest to establish AI gigafactory in Finland

Finland supports Nokia-led consortium's expression of interest to establish AI gigafactory in Finland

The European Commission plans to support the establishment of AI gigafactories across EU Member States. From Finland, technology leader Nokia, along with a business consortium it has assembled, has stepped forward with an expression of interest to bring an AI gigafactory to the country and has taken part in the Commission's call. The Finnish Government backs the expression of interest submitted by the business consortium led by Nokia.

The European Commission's InvestAI initiative seeks to generate EUR 200 billion in investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). The Commission has launched a major AI infrastructure push, centred on building up to five AI gigafactories across the EU.

In April 2025, the Commission launched a call for expressions of interest for organisations interested in establishing an AI gigafactory. A Nokia-led consortium expressed interest in bringing one to Finland and submitted its proposal to the Commission. The Finnish Government backs the business consortium's expression of interest.

AI gigafactories will harness massive computing power to develop, train and deploy advanced AI models and applications. According to preliminary plans, around 65 per cent of the investment costs and all operational costs would be covered by the private sector.

AI gigafactory would boost Finland's growth and competitiveness

The Government's objective is to generate sustainable growth and generate investment to Finland. An AI gigafactory would strengthen the competitiveness of Finnish companies and support the development of AI. Finland's strengths in expertise, data resources, startups, research and development, and technologies, such as quantum, make it well-positioned to lead in AI.

Finland would also be an ideal location for an AI gigafactory, largely due to clean energy grids and land availability. Finland is already home to the LUMI AI factory, one of the first European AI factories. LUMI and the proposed gigafactory could cooperate in various ways.

At its core, the AI gigafactory initiative must be a business-driven investment. It must appeal to companies and support both European and national strategic goals.

Full call for proposals expected later this year

The European Commission will launch the full call for proposals for AI gigafactories in late 2025. The proposal and its broader impact on innovation, competitiveness and Europe's strategic autonomy are being further developed. Finland is open to collaboration with Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as other Member States, in shaping the next phase of the proposal.

The Commission will soon begin discussions with the 76 applicants who submitted expressions of interest. These submissions are not public.

Inquiries:
Lasse Laitinen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, +358 295 047 162 (until 9 July)
Kristine Alanko, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Transport and Communications, +358 295 342 052 (until 15 July)