GoKawiil
Tech News
Finnish authorities have demanded Google suspend all preparatory activities for two planned data centers after contractors clear-cut approximately 530 hectares of protected forests without proper permits. The Supervisory Agency (LVV) identified violations including unapproved logging and environmental disruption in Muhos and Kajaani. Google acknowledged the issue and committed to reviewing the findings.
Finland's Licensing and Supervision Agency ordered Google subsidiary Tuike Finland Oy to stop construction work at two planned data center sites until environmental impact assessments are completed. The suspension covers activities including tree removal, excavation, quarrying and road construction. The order comes a month after Google pledged $15 billion for AI infrastructure investment in the country.
Google's local operator Tuike Finland allegedly cleared over 300 hectares of forest near Muhos for a new data center without first securing a required environmental impact assessment, according to AFP. The project is part of Google's broader 13-billion-euro data center expansion in Finland, which already includes a facility in Hamina and planned sites in Kajaani and Vaala.
Microsoft is designing landscaping around some of its data centers that includes public hiking trails and restored waterways, aiming to offset the facilities' environmental footprint. The move comes amid growing local opposition to data centers over their heavy land, energy, and water use, as well as noise complaints that have prompted lawsuits in some communities.
A wave of recent AI model and tool launches has delivered capabilities far beyond what existed just months ago, yet public reaction has grown more negative rather than more welcoming. Critics point to concerns over environmental costs, erosion of creativity and critical thinking, and fears that advanced AI systems could act in ways harmful to humanity. Media coverage is increasingly framing these issues around specific companies or figures the public can hold accountable.
A new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute finds that 53% of Americans are extremely or very concerned about AI's environmental impact, up from 41% a year ago. The rise is driven largely by Democrats, though the poll also shows widespread unease about the local effects of data centers that power AI and cloud computing.