Google's massive AI expansion in Finland has come at a startling environmental cost. Approximately 250,000 trees have been cut down at one planned data center site, and Finnish authorities have ordered the company to halt work while environmental reviews are completed.

According to a new investigation published Thursday by The Guardian, Google cleared roughly 330 hectares of forest in Muhos, Finland, as part of a €13 billion investment in AI infrastructure. That's an area larger than 450 American football fields.

And that's only one location. Environmental experts estimate another 150,000 trees were removed at a second site in Otanmäki, bringing the estimated total to approximately 400,000.

The controversy is raising difficult questions about the environmental price of the AI boom, particularly as Google, Microsoft and other technology companies race to build the infrastructure needed to power increasingly sophisticated AI models.

Google announced its €13 billion investment in September, describing the expansion as its largest single investment in Europe. The company promoted the economic opportunities and environmental commitments associated with the project.

But the construction plans quickly ran into trouble. According to Finland's national broadcaster Yle, authorities ordered Google's subsidiary, Tuike Finland, to stop environmentally significant work at its planned data centers in Muhos and Kajaani until mandatory environmental impact assessments are completed.

The clearing involved more than cutting down trees. Workers also removed topsoil, constructed roads and altered drainage systems, potentially affecting the surrounding environment.

The Guardian reports that residents have raised concerns about muddy runoff entering waterways connected to the Oulujoki River.

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