Google accused of illegally clearing 250,000 trees in Finland for AI data center

According to a Guardian report from October 22, Google cleared about 330 hectares of forest — an estimated 250,000 trees — in Muhos, northern Finland, to build an AI data center, before completing the legally required environmental impact assessment; the site was also stripped of topsoil. Finland's Licensing and Supervision Authority earlier this month ordered construction to halt at Muhos and a second site in Otanmäki by October 23, warning of enforcement action and fines for non-compliance; activists estimate another 150,000 trees were felled at Otanmäki. The case matters because it puts Europe's fast AI data center expansion on a collision course with environmental law, and the regulator's response could set the precedent for how such violations are handled.

• IT之家2026-10-23 06:57