Finland Investigates After Google Clears Forest for AI Site

Finland just put Google's massive data-center push under a criminal microscope. Police have opened an investigation into whether Tuike Finland, a Google subsidiary, illegally cleared and drained more than 800 acres of forest in the northern town of Muhos before completing legally required environmental impact reviews, reports the Guardian. Authorities say early findings point to problems with drainage and water management, and regulators have already ordered work halted at Muhos and a second site in Otanmaki.

"We are investigating whether the company's operations have breached the water act and resulted in environmental damage," Detective Superintendent Kari Pakanen tells Reuters. The investigation lands as Finland weighs 145 prospective data centers, including a $14.5 billion Google AI infrastructure project. But revelations about large-scale clearcutting—campaigners estimate 400,000 trees were felled across the two sites—have fueled a backlash, a 93,000-signature petition, and questions over whether such projects deliver much beyond profit for the operators. Otanmaki residents previously told the Guardian that wolves from the forest have been descending on the village since the trees were cleared.