SRV is building The LUMI AI Factory data center of CSC – IT Center for Science in Kajaani, Finland. Built around an AI-optimized supercomputer, the project strengthens Finland’s and Europe’s position in the development of artificial intelligence and enables next-generation computing.
The demanding project sets exceptionally high construction requirements, as an AI data center is not a standard business facility. Computing capacity, energy efficiency and operational reliability must function seamlessly together now and in the future.
LUMI AI Factory is one of the European Union’s 19 AI factories. In addition to Finland, the LUMI AI factory project coordinated by CSC involves Norway, Poland, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Estonia.
The development phase determines costs
Construction of the LUMI AI Factory data center began in January 2026, with the aim of making the facility operational in Spring 2027.
In this technically demanding construction project, the most important decisions were made already at the design stage. CSC and SRV advanced the project from the development phase to the implementation decision using a two-phase project management model.
During the development phase, the data center’s energy solutions, cooling, power supply and spatial solutions were optimized, while cost estimates and the project schedule were refined. This ensured that the overall solution was investment-ready before construction began.
“The technology of AI data centers is developing rapidly. It is therefore important to maintain flexibility in construction and technical choices and allow for changes as requirements become more precise. Without a development phase, decisions would have had to be made before the final needs were known,” says Mika Toivonoja, Senior Datacenter Specialist at CSC.
Careful building design reduces risks and improves predictability. At the same time, unnecessary design changes that could affect costs can be avoided.
High-level wood construction and building services engineering
The LUMI AI Factory data center is being built at Kajaani’s Renforsin Ranta business park within an existing paper mill hall. CTL mass timber is used in the data center as the construction material for the white space cover.
The reuse of an existing industrial facility and the use of wood are concrete examples of lifecycle-wise construction. Energy efficiency is also a critical part of the overall solution: high-performance computing requires efficient power supply and cooling, which directly affect the building’s operating costs.
“In cooling and energy solutions, the purchase price alone does not tell the full story. Equipment must operate reliably throughout its lifecycle, so maintainability, maintenance costs and expandability are decisive. In addition, all components must be designed specifically for data center use and withstand future upgrades,” says Toivonoja.
High-level building services engineering is is essential to data center operations. SRV’s expertise lies in designing and implementing a comprehensive solution in which technical systems operate reliably.
A platform for AI development
In the LUMI AI Factory project, a collaborative contract model enables open information sharing and joint development between SRV and the client.
“SRV brought strong construction expertise and building services engineering knowledge to the development phase and helped the different parties work together towards a common goal,” says Toivonoja.
SRV has previously constructed technically demanding facilities such as the Helsinki Data Center for Telia and the high-tech silicon wafer plant for Okmetic.
Building an AI data center also means laying a foundation for future innovations. Once completed, the LUMI AI Factory data center will provide researchers and companies with an environment based on European values, enabling the development of increasingly powerful AI models.