Prime Minister Antti Rinne and Google CEO Sundar Pichai met in Helsinki on Friday 20 September. At a joint press conference, Prime Minister Rinne and CEO Pichai announced the news of Google’s huge new investments to be made in Finland.
“This is excellent news for Finland. My Government is working hard to make sure Finland attracts more investment. The programme of investment in Finland and Europe that Google announced today is considerable. For Finland, it means an investment of 600 million euros in a Hamina-based data centre, and also two wind power projects that will produce 250 megawatts of clean electricity. Such projects again show that Finland is an excellent place to invest in,” said Prime Minister Rinne.
Google's CEO Sundar Pichai explained that "Finland is a great example of how the internet can help drive economic growth". "We look forward to partnering with the Finnish Government in the months and years ahead. Together, we can make sure everyone benefits from a strong and sustainable digital economy", he remarked.
High level of expertise
Rinne stressed that “Finland’s strengths include stability and security, a high level of expertise, well-functioning governance and efficient administration, and a high level of trust within society. These are significant factors in the global competition to attract investments. They are also factors we intend to further enhance. My Government is confident that when we are active in addressing global issues and megatrends, this will generate sustainable economic growth. That is why we are investing in skills and education.”
Finnish Prime Minister also explained that in addition to discussing the investments with CEO Pichai, the two of them also had fruitful discussions on digitalisation, the digital economy, enhancement of knowledge and expertise, and climate issues.
“I was also told that with the wind power investments, the Finnish data centre’s power needs will be met almost entirely by emissions-free electricity. I am pleased that the climate has been taken seriously in these plans", Rinne said.
