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Google's new data center in Finland

royal.pingdom.com

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Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#2
Google plans to employ 50-60 people to run the data center. So far they have found four, so they have some head hunting to do.

Google Maps says Hamina is a 2 hour drive from Helsinki, can any Finns comment on if this is an accurate time? Or is it one of those 6 months of the year the roads are dead sort of thing?

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#3
post #2

Google plans to employ 50-60 people to run the data center. So far they have found four, so they have some head hunting to do. Google Maps says Hamina is a 2 hour drive from Helsinki, can any Finns comment on if this is an accurate time? Or is it one of those 6 months of the year the roads are dead sort of thing?

If you look closer at Google Maps you'll see that the road from Helsinki to Hamina goes past several other cities, and it looks like this: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&#38...

It's hardly some dirt road in the middle of nowhere, so yes, 2 hours is probably accurate.

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#4
post #2

Google plans to employ 50-60 people to run the data center. So far they have found four, so they have some head hunting to do. Google Maps says Hamina is a 2 hour drive from Helsinki, can any Finns comment on if this is an accurate time? Or is it one of those 6 months of the year the roads are dead sort of thing?

Yeah It's almost 2 hours 15 minutes drive from Helsinki but driving is the only option to reach Hamina. There is no rail system connecting Hamina (there was one, no longer operational).

I have been closely following the news about this particular datacenter and it really is strange that Google hasn't found enough engineers for the job there. I have been seeing the ads for the jobs at Hamina datacentre since last one year or so.

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#5
post #2

Google plans to employ 50-60 people to run the data center. So far they have found four, so they have some head hunting to do. Google Maps says Hamina is a 2 hour drive from Helsinki, can any Finns comment on if this is an accurate time? Or is it one of those 6 months of the year the roads are dead sort of thing?

Sounds about right. Finnish main roads are surprisingly good all year round, and cars by law have to use special tires during the winter season.

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#6
post #4
post #2

Google plans to employ 50-60 people to run the data center. So far they have found four, so they have some head hunting to do. Google Maps says Hamina is a 2 hour drive from Helsinki, can any Finns comment on if this is an accurate time? Or is it one of those 6 months of the year the roads are dead sort of thing?

Yeah It's almost 2 hours 15 minutes drive from Helsinki but driving is the only option to reach Hamina. There is no rail system connecting Hamina (there was one, no longer operational). I have been closely following the news about this particular datacenter and it really is strange that Google hasn't found enough engineers for the job there. I have been seeing the ads for the jobs at Hamina datacentre since last one…

I've only been to Hamina once (nice harbour BTW) but I don't recall if there was a university or technical college there. I'd have thought Helsinki/Espoo, Tampere or Oulu would have been better for communications and near to recruitment grounds.

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#7
Google page about the data center: http://www.google.com/datacenter/hamina/

I can't see it on Google Street View, unless it's that area of tents on the map. But I don't see anything that looks like a paper mill there.

Maybe they just dropped the marker in a random location.

Edit: Yes they did, here's an actual Google Maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&q=60.536944,27.116944&#3...

The street view doesn't show the location, just a guarded gate into the area.

Here's a Finnish Wikipedia article about the site (with the coordinates): http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summan_paperitehdas

And Google Images of the site: http://www.google.fi/images?um=1&tbs=isch:1&sa=1&#38...

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#8
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah It's almost 2 hours 15 minutes drive from Helsinki but driving is the only option to reach Hamina. There is no rail system connecting Hamina (there was one, no longer operational). I have been closely following the news about this particular datacenter and it really is strange that Google hasn't found enough engineers for the job there. I have been seeing the ads for the jobs at Hamina datacentre since last one…

I've only been to Hamina once (nice harbour BTW) but I don't recall if there was a university or technical college there. I'd have thought Helsinki/Espoo, Tampere or Oulu would have been better for communications and near to recruitment grounds.

You are right. Helsinki/Espoo, Tampere or Oulu would have been far better choices from the point of recruitment but this is a large piece of land and probably Google didn't want to let it go.

Besides they must have thought the name Google is enough to get smart people where ever they want.

btw this is what centre of Hamina looks like : http://torikamera.haminetti.net/user/toricam.html

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#9
post #7

Google page about the data center: http://www.google.com/datacenter/hamina/ I can't see it on Google Street View, unless it's that area of tents on the map. But I don't see anything that looks like a paper mill there. Maybe they just dropped the marker in a random location. Edit: Yes they did, here's an actual Google Maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&q=60.536944,27.116944&#3... The street view doesn't show t…

Looks like it is/it was a geocaching location http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=f13ea...

Re: Google's new data center in Finland

#10
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've only been to Hamina once (nice harbour BTW) but I don't recall if there was a university or technical college there. I'd have thought Helsinki/Espoo, Tampere or Oulu would have been better for communications and near to recruitment grounds.

You are right. Helsinki/Espoo, Tampere or Oulu would have been far better choices from the point of recruitment but this is a large piece of land and probably Google didn't want to let it go. Besides they must have thought the name Google is enough to get smart people where ever they want. btw this is what centre of Hamina looks like : http://torikamera.haminetti.net/user/toricam.html

There's a data center in Lenoir, NC which they spun as a way of training and employing laid-off furniture / textile mill workers. The fact that this is in a paper mill shut down two years ago makes me think they would try to do something similar.

http://www.google.com/datacenter/lenoir/jobs.html

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