AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

---

The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Agency has ordered Google subsidiary Tuike Finland Oy to halt construction on two data centers in Muhos and Kajaani until environmental impact assessments are finished. The investigation alleges that over 740 acres of forest were cleared for the project without proper authorization. A Google spokesperson admitted the company fell short of its own high standards but stated it acted in good faith under the Forestry Act. They noted they conducted nature surveys and have already begun landscaping plans, including tree planting across 130 hectares at the Muhos site.

Finland is often referred to as the "Texas of Europe" due to its abundant land and electricity, which are common bottlenecks for data center developers. While major AI infrastructure growth centers in the U.S. and China, Europe aims to build massive capacity with a target of 100,000 AI GPUs per site. SoftBank plans an $87 billion investment in France specifically because of its nuclear-powered grid. However, other European nations face severe power shortages; Denmark paused new connection requests after demand hit 60GW, more than eight times the country’s peak consumption of around 7GW. Amazon projects on the continent are facing delays of up to seven years waiting for connections.

The stop-work orders in Finland do not relate to electricity supply but stem from alleged tree cutting without government approval. The LVV ordered Tuike to stop removing trees, topsoil, and engaging in excavation or road construction. Tommi Muilu, head of the LVV environmental department, stated that the measures will change the environment and cause impacts requiring assessment. While the subsidiary must pause these activities, it can proceed with planning, measurement, and soil surveys that have minimal environmental impact.