 (NASDAQ: APLD) has secured access to as much as 1 GW of potential power capacity in Finland, its first development opportunity out...](https://cdn.baxtel.com/data-center/applied-digital-secures-1-gw-of-finnish-power-for-first-campus-outside-us/logo/applied-digital-secures-1-gw-of-finnish-power-for-first-campus-outside-us-featured.png){kind=logo}
Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) has secured access to as much as 1 GW of potential power capacity in Finland, its first development opportunity outside the United States, the Dallas-based AI data center developer said on October 6. The planned AI Factory campus can scale to 1 GW, with initial power availability anticipated beginning in 2028. Applied Digital has 
Aerial view of Applied Digital's flagship Ellendale AI data center campus, which serves as the operational model for its planned 1 GW expansion into Finland.started marketing the site and is in talks with global hyperscale customers.
The agreement gives the company a foothold in the Nordics without committing capital up front. Applied Digital says the deal was structured to provide long-term growth potential while limiting its initial exposure, and that future investment and development decisions depend on customer demand, commercial milestones and regulatory approvals. No specific location in Finland, power counterparty or tenant was named.
Finland has become a magnet for AI capacity because of its cool climate, low-cost electricity and dense fiber links into Europe. Telecompaper reported the power agreement and the 2028 start date. TheEnergyMag noted the campus will proceed in phases tied to commercial milestones and customer commitments.
Applied Digital's chief executive tied the choice to the same conditions that built the company's U.S. portfolio. "Finland stood out because many of the characteristics that have supported our success in North Dakota are also present in the Nordics," said Wes Cummins, Chairman and CEO of Applied Digital. He called the move a deliberate first step rather than a strategy change, and said the company's focus remains on executing its U.S. projects.
That pipeline is already large. Applied Digital has signed long-term leases with investment-grade hyperscalers covering roughly 1.4 GW of contracted critical IT load, anchored by Polaris Forge 1 in Ellendale, North Dakota, and newer campuses including Delta Forge 2 in Alabama.
Baxtel tracks 140 data centers in Finland, operated by 59 providers, with Google's Hamina campus the largest at 140 MW.
For U.S. AI developers, the Finland deal is a hedge against a domestic power bottleneck. Interconnection queues in Virginia, Texas and the Midwest now stretch years, and markets with cheap electricity and fast permitting are drawing harder looks. Applied Digital is not retreating from that fight. It is buying an option abroad while it builds at home, and the phasing language keeps the downside small. If a hyperscaler signs, Finland becomes another franchise campus. If not, the company has spent little to find out whether its model travels.
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