Northern Finland’s cool climate is drawing tech giant Google to expand its data centres.
Google has spent more than 50 million euros acquiring land in northern Finland for data centre expansion, reports Tekniikka & Talous, citing land registry records.
The tech giant is planning a network of data centres and has acquired more than 2,500 hectares of land in three northern municipalities.
In Muhos, authorities are pressing ahead with a 26-million-euro road project, even though Google has yet to take a final decision on its mega-investments, according to the tech and business news outlet.
Baby surprise
The past 12 months have brought a modest uptick in fertility compared with 2024, reports Hufvudstadsbladet.
Across the country, births rose just over five percent. In the capital region, the increase was close to six percent, with Helsinki leading the way at almost nine percent.
The shift has taken Uusimaa by surprise, prompting Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) to recruit 25 additional staff members for maternity services, most of them midwives.
But the change is not enough to reverse a broader trend.
Finland’s total fertility rate has fallen sharply over the past 15 years. Nationwide, it declined from 1.87 in 2010 to 1.25 in 2024 — far short of the replacement rate of 2.1.
Summer job success
This summer is seeing fierce competition for summer work, which is why a story about a high school student landing seven jobs is one of Helsingin Sanomat‘s most popular on Monday.
After submitting 50 applications, Laura Rautio received offers ranging from shop assistant and waiter to painter.
In the end, she opted for the checkout at Lidl, which was no small feat. In the capital area alone, Lidl stores received more than 4,000 summer job applications.
What is Rautio’s secret? Tailoring and personalising each application rather than delegating it to AI, according to HS.
