Finnish authorities have ordered Google to stop construction at two planned data center sites after an investigation found the company cleared vast stretches of forest without completing required environmental reviews. The tech giant removed 400,000 trees from two sites, leaving local residents to fend off wolves prowling villages after their forest homes were destroyed.
\n\nThe Guardian reports that Google cut down roughly 250,000 trees at a planned artificial intelligence data center site in Muhos, Finland, clearing about 330 hectares of forest, an area larger than 450 American football fields, according to an investigation. Environmental experts estimate another 150,000 trees were removed at a second site in Otanmäki, putting the combined total across both locations at roughly 400,000 trees.
\n\nThe clearing is part of a $14.5 billion (€13 billion) investment Google announced in September to build out AI infrastructure in Finland, which the company has called its largest single investment in Europe. Finland has drawn tech companies partly for its cool climate and its land and energy resources, both of which reduce the electricity needed to cool servers.
\n\nFinnish authorities have since ordered Google to stop work while environmental reviews are completed. According to Finland’s national broadcaster Yle, officials told Google’s…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/
