A circular focus in our biggest project yet:
EcoDataCenter 2

We will build a data center, EcoDataCenter 2, which will be one of the largest data centers in Sweden. A total of SEK 18 billion will be invested in Östersund until 2033 to give the industry access to computing power with a low climate footprint and to create a circular system for food production. In addition, large-scale food production is planned to help make Sweden more self-sufficient in food and create many jobs. Instead of releasing the waste heat that always occurs in a data center, a circular system is created where the waste heat is used to heat the greenhouses. The initiative in Östersund is a collaboration between EcoDataCenter, WA3RM, Östersund Municipality and Jämtkraft.

We are three actors who will invest in this venture; EcoDataCenter, WA3RM and Jämtkraft. The majority of the investment will be made by EcoDataCenter. We are owned by Areim with large institutional investors as customers. They, like many other investors, want to invest in green solutions and this venture is a good example of that.

The demand for computing power by companies is expected to quadruple in the coming years. Building data centers in Sweden has a major climate advantage thanks to our clean electricity and our cold climate that can be used for cooling. For example, German data centers have about 50 times higher climate impact than the most sustainable data centers in Sweden. In Östersund, thanks to Jämtkraft, there is access to renewable energy and a desire to drive the green transition.

Data centers may look like anonymous buildings, but they are part of a critical digital infrastructure and are essential for businesses and organizations to manage data and perform advanced data calculations, including those required to realize the industry's green transition. Specifically, data centers enable, for example, doctors to see your medical records, goods to be delivered to your grocery store, and your salary to be deposited into your account every month. We want to build data centers that add more value and benefit society here in Östersund, so we are planning for a circular system together with WA3RM.

During construction, an estimated 300 workers will be needed. Our plan is to use local labor for the construction, just like when we built the EcoDataCenter in Falun. When the establishment is completed in 2033, the entire initiative is expected to create about 800-1,000 new jobs, including both the data center and food production, with the food part accounting for the majority. The initiative is a so-called anchor establishment, which enables Jämtkraft to provide the region with 500 MW of power. This facilitates further industrial establishments and the electrification of the municipality of Östersund.

This investment, which when fully developed will total SEK 18 billion, is an important part of the industry's green transition. We have well-capitalized owners in Areim with large institutional investors as customers. Like many other investors, they want to invest in green solutions, and this initiative is a good example of that.

The data center is being built in stages and will consist of several buildings. We hope to break ground in 2024 and the first phase will be completed in 2026. The entire facility is expected to be fully developed by 2033. The large-scale cultivation will be built in parallel with the data center as this activity is largely dependent on the heat deliveries from the data center.

EcoDataCenter is a leader in sustainable data centers and operates one of the world's most sustainable data centers in Falun, EcoDataCenter 1, where they currently use the residual electricity to produce pellets through a collaboration with Falu Energi och Vatten. By rethinking how we design critical infrastructure, EcoDataCenter makes it possible to reduce the climate impact of the world's increasing need for data. EcoDataCenter was founded in 2014 and opened the doors to EcoDataCenter 1 in 2019. EcoDataCenter is one of the few Swedish-owned data center companies. 
 
We at EcoDataCenter want all Swedish data centers to focus on what we do best: Enabling digitalization. Societal benefit is best created by providing secure data services and driving innovation and development in Sweden, not by operating in the speculative and energy-intensive crypto market that also benefits only a few. We have therefore taken the decision in principle not to allow the mining of cryptocurrencies in our data centers, to instead focus on activities that actually make society better.