NYtimes covers the growth of Nordic countries as home for Green Data Centers.

Nordic Countries Increasingly Attractive as Sites for Data Centers

By NAOMI POWELL

Published: April 29, 2012

The potential growth of the Nordics could canabalize the data centers in other parts of Europe.

“What we are seeing, certainly in the data storage market, is the rise of the Nordics, which may in the future dilute the market share from the traditional centers in Europe,” Keith Inglis, a partner in the Europe, Middle East and Africa data center advisory group at Cushman & Wakefield, said in a statement.

Here is a summary of construciton projects.

Sweden and the other Nordic countries are attempting to chart a different course. In addition to Facebook, which will spend as much as $750 million on the center, Google has built a €200 million, or $265 million, data facility in Hamina, Finland; Verne Global is investing $700 million in its center in Iceland; and Green Mountain Data is building a facility worth 1 billion Norwegian kroner, or $175 million, in Norway.

The Green Data Center angle is referenced.

“Green has become a really important piece,” said Rachel Dines, a senior analyst at Forrester, the research firm. “Not only does it look good and look environmentally conscious and sustainable but it also saves you a lot of money because green means less power, and power is the No. 1 cost of running a data center.”

One interesting part covered is the incentives offered to Facebook.

Though tax breaks were not part of the deal, Sweden provided an investment grant of 103 million kronor to Facebook. That money could have been spent on broadband and other infrastructure that would benefit all companies, said Per Boland, a spokesman for the Green Party in Sweden. “This sets a standard for the future and it could be a very expensive way to attract business to Sweden,” he said.