APAC data center firm DayOne is expanding into Europe with a project in Finland.

The company this week announced plans to develop a campus in Lahti, some 100km northeast of Helsinki.

The €1.2 billion ($1.4bn) project will be located in a former industrial site in Kiveriö. At full build-out, the project could total 128MW IT load.

Construction will commence with site demolition in Q3 2025, and operations at the first 50MW building are scheduled to be ready for service in 2027.

DayOne said negotiations with potential tenants are in progress, with no agreements finalized to date.

The site will use free-cooling, and the company is exploring potential heat reuse opportunities.

“Finland is an ideal strategic choice for our European growth,” said Jamie Khoo, CEO of DayOne Data Centers. “With its reliable energy infrastructure, renewable energy leadership, highly skilled workforce, and naturally favorable climate that significantly reduces energy consumption and operational costs, Finland offers unique advantages that align perfectly with our commitment to sustainable digital infrastructure.

“Recognized as European Green Capital 2021, Lahti is advancing towards carbon neutrality, making it a natural fit with DayOne’s sustainability goals. We are proud to invest €1.2 billion… into the Finnish economy and collaborate closely with Lahti to drive local innovation and sustainability.”

The mayor of Lahti, Mr. Niko Kyynäräinen, added: “The data center to be built in Lahti is designed to handle large-scale data processing, enabling the creation of a strong digital ecosystem. In addition to the location, cool climate, clean energy, and stable conditions, Lahti’s investment environment once again proved to be a winning operational model.”

Elsewhere in Finland, DayOne also said it has jointly invested in Hyperco’s Kouvola data center. Damac-owned Hyperco is developing a facility there set to serve TikTok owner ByteDance.

DayOne was formed from the international unit of Chinese data center firm GDS. Formerly GDS International, the unit changed its name in January of this year and launched as an independent company following the completion of a Series B funding round.

The company’s portfolio currently comprises more than 500MW of data center capacity in service and under construction, and more than 500MW held for future development across sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia (Johor), Indonesia (Batam), and Japan (Tokyo). The company recently broke ground on a site in Thailand and another in Singapore.