As global digital demand continues to increase, energy and emissions reduction is vital as the data centre industry continues to tackle its growing environmental impact.
atNorth has initiated a partnership with the Finnish retail conglomerate Kesko Corporation centred around sustainability.
The collaboration will see waste heat from atNorth’s FIN02 data centre in Espoo repurposed to heat a nearby Kesko store.
This innovative use of waste heat not only aids Kesko in cutting down emissions associated with district heating but also supports its aim of reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50%.
Additionally, it enhances atNorth’s energy efficiency and helps decrease its carbon footprint.
Eyjólfur Magnús Kristinsson, CEO atNorth, explains: “We are pleased to showcase beneficial collaborations that support our vision of data centre ecosystems that fundamentally contribute to the communities in which we operate.
“By collaborating with likeminded businesses, we can not only mitigate our own carbon consumption but assist others too. At the same time, supporting the investment in local power networks facilitates long term power availability that benefits the local community as a whole”.
The initiative at atNorth’s FIN02 data centre in Sinimäki, Espoo, could significantly reduce its environmental impact.
By capturing and redirecting the waste heat generated by high-performance computing operations, atNorth is demonstrating how data centres can be integral to a lower-carbon energy system.
Energy from IT equipment and servers — commonly wasted — is now being recycled into the local heating system, thereby preventing its escape into the atmosphere through conventional cooling methods.
The heat that is recovered warms Kesko’s store and covers most of its heating energy needs.
By doing this, Kesko can make significant progress toward its goal of halving its Scope 1 and 2 emissions and will also reduce around 200 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions per year.
This approach offers a pathway for organisations to reduce energy grid pressure and support decarbonised heating as digital infrastructure continues to expand.
The initiative also strengthens the role of data centres as active participants in the energy system, highlighting a responsible approach to data centre operations.
Antti Kokkonen, Kesko’s Director of Energy, explains: “One of the key goals of our ambitious sustainability strategy is to reduce CO₂ emissions resulting from the heating of our properties.
“By collaborating with atNorth in just one store, we reduce Kesko’s emissions from district heating use by 0.9%, saving approximately 200tCO2 equivalent per year.
“This corresponds to the annual consumption of about 120 district-heated detached houses – as an individual project, this is one of our most significant CO₂ reduction initiatives this year.”
atNorth has strategically partnered with Caruna Espoo Oy to enhance infrastructure and secure the power supply for its expanding operations in Finland.
This collaboration provides 45MW of reliable power to support the new FIN02 data centre in Espoo, ensuring long-term energy stability to meet growing demands for cloud, AI and HPC applications.
The investment fosters grid reinforcement, supporting future-proof energy delivery across the region.
Kosti Rautiainen, EVP Customers and New Ventures at Caruna, says: “Data centres play an important role in the long-term resilience of Finland’s power infrastructure and its economic growth as a whole.
“atNorth’s investment in Espoo supports the development of a carbon-free energy system through innovative heat reuse partnerships and promotes local employment opportunities.
"We are delighted to play our role in this data centre ecosystem for the benefit of our community.”
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