Borealis Data Center
The Borealis Data Center campus in Kajaani, Finland, was completed in just seven months at the Renforsin Ranta site. Despite ambitious sustainability targets and highly customised technical requirements, the project was delivered fully on schedule.
The Kajaani campus marks a major milestone for Borealis Data Center. It is the first colocation data center in Finland to apply direct liquid cooling at full megawatt scale across the entire site. The project was delivered with design and project management services from Sweco Finland.
- Client
- Borealis Data Center
- Location
- Kajaani, Finland
- Completion
- 2025
- Sweco Scope
- Project management, Electrical engineering, HVAC and cooling system design, Structural engineering, Architectural design, Fire safety engineering
A sustainable data center designed for the future
Borealis Data Center is known for its strong focus on sustainability. While the company’s Icelandic data centers operate entirely on renewable energy, the same sustainable vision also formed the foundation of the new cross-laminated timber (CLT) data center completed in Kajaani in 2025.
“We are particularly proud of the opening of our first HPC/AI data center in Finland – a major milestone in Borealis’ growth across the Nordics,” says Antti-Jussi Tampio, Site Manager of Borealis Data Center in Kajaani.
According to Tampio, Kajaani is an ideal location thanks to the city’s targeted investments in developing a strong data center ecosystem and an extensive partner network.
Marcel Mendes da Costa, Chief Development Officer at Borealis Data Center, also highlights the importance of collaboration throughout the project:
The delivery of our data center in Kajaani required flexibility and trust between all project partners. Thanks to Sweco’s broad expertise, we were able to realise this concept within an exceptionally short timeframe.
Accelerated delivery through integrated project management
One of the project’s biggest challenges was the exceptionally short delivery schedule. To meet the deadline, all project partners needed to remain flexible and make rapid decisions throughout the execution phase.
Sweco Finland implemented an integrated project management model that enabled fast decision-making, active risk management, and efficient procurement preparation. While the design process was still ongoing, site preparation works had already started.
“Our architects quickly delivered the required drawings for the permit application, while the detailed design continued in parallel with the construction works,” explains Juha Mäkelä, Construction Director and Project Manager at Sweco Finland.
The data center was ultimately completed in just seven months – an exceptional achievement for a project of this scale and complexity.
Innovative liquid cooling at full megawatt scale
Electrical engineering and cooling technology played a central role in the project design. According to Jouni Palmu, Export Director at Sweco Finland, the initial focus was on the critical adaptations to the power distribution system and the timely procurement of long lead-time components.
The cooling concept was also developed from the outset with a strong emphasis on reliability and energy efficiency.
“We selected and designed the cooling solutions based on ambitious PUE targets,” says Sweco Finland specialist Salla Sorokin. “The liquid cooling system was developed using an innovative approach with a strong focus on operational reliability.”
The waste heat generated by the data center can be recovered and supplied to Kajaani’s district heating network, covering approximately 10% of the city’s local heating demand.
Industrial heritage site transformed into digital infrastructure
The data center was established inside a former storage facility of the UPM paper mill, which was fully upgraded to meet current building and technical standards.
The structural engineering required extensive reinforcements and tailor-made solutions to adapt the existing industrial structure for its new purpose. Certified CLT timber elements sourced from nearby Kuhmo were incorporated into the project, further strengthening its sustainability ambitions.
As Jouni Palmu describes it:
The transformation of the old paper mill hall into a modern data center was highly symbolic – where paper once flowed through the building, digital information now flows.