寻找最完美的数据中心选址环境
寻找完美的数据中心选址环境
In search of the perfect data center environment
为什么芬兰即将成为数据中心市场的下一个重要参与者
Why Finland is on the cusp of being the next big player in the data center market
By Chris Merriman
全球性的气候变化因素的影响、日益增长的算力需求、电力能源的价格之争、地理位置和自然冷却的优势、电信基础设施的先进性、高学历人才在全国人口中的占比、国外企业建厂落户的优惠政策……这一些列的因素叠加，会碰撞出怎样的火花？也许，芬兰会给出答案……
随着数据中心所在地的传统热点趋于饱和，运营商正在向更远的地方寻找下一个适合建设数字中心的地点。芬兰——拥有先进的电信基础设施、成熟的可持续发展的项目和丰富的自然冷却资源，正在世界舞台上占据一席之地，芬兰为具有高效的、经济的基础设施潜力的数据中心建设提供了机会。在芬兰数据中心协会(FDCA)准备召开年度会议之际，Data Center Dynamics（DCD）采访了芬兰数据中心协会(FDCA)的行业中坚人物Eero Lindqvist。
As traditional hotspots for data center locations become saturated, operators are moving further afield in search of the next digital hub. Finland, with its advanced telecom infrastructure, mature sustainability programs, and an abundance of natural cooling is taking its place on the world stage offering opportunities for data center construction with a potential for efficient, cost-effective facilities. Data Center Dynamics spoke to industry stalwart Eero Lindqvist of the Finnish Data Center Association (FDCA) as it prepares to meet for its annual conference.
我们先来回答这个牵扯到百万欧元的问题:为什么是芬兰，为什么是现在?
We start with the million euro questions – Why Finland, and why now?
“从全局来看，气候变化是主要因素”它告诉我们。“气候变化是影响未来数据中心选址的主要因素，（未来数据中心选址）尤其要考虑可负担得起的可再生电力的可用性。另一件重要的事情是水资源的可用性，因为供水的压力似乎越来越大，特别是在南欧和中欧。从这个意义上来讲，芬兰和北欧处于有利地位，并且已经准备好迎接来自全球市场的需求。我们有很好的地域优势，我们有可再生能源，而且我们的可再生能源正在快速增长。”
“Climate change is the big picture,” he tells us. “It's the main driver affecting where future data centers will be located, particularly the availability of affordable and renewable electricity. Another thing that will be important is the availability of water resources because stress on the water supply seems to be getting worse, especially in Southern and Central Europe. In that sense, Finland and the Nordics are in a good position and ready for demand from the global market. We have good sites, we have renewable power and it’s growing fast.”
在过去的几年里，芬兰在电力需求方面已经发展到能够完全自给自足的状态了，这是由几个全球因素引发的。但芬兰不仅没有止步于此，反而是继续扩大其廉价绿色能源的生产，以推动其在全球市场的扩张。
In the past few years, Finland has moved to be completely self-sufficient in terms of its electricity demand, triggered by several global factors. But rather than stop there, it continues to expand its production of cheap green energy to fuel its expansion in the global market.
Lindqvist解释说：“一两年前，我们从瑞典和俄罗斯进口了大量电力。现在这种情形有所改变——我确认过了，当前我们有大约6500兆瓦的风能在生产。到2023年底，这个数字将会攀升到7200兆瓦，与此同时我们还有不同建设状态的风力发电厂，它们有能提供50000兆瓦的风电的潜力，所以在三到五年之内，我们即将拥有充足的价格低廉的可再生电力能源储备。”
Lindqvist explains how: “A year or two ago, we were importing quite a lot of electricity from Sweden and Russia. That’s changed – I checked and at the moment we have about 6,500 megawatts of wind power in production. By the end of this year, it will be 7,200 megawatts, and there is a potential 50,000 megawatts from plants in various states of construction, so in three to five years, we are going to have a good surplus of renewable cheap electricity.”
但与北欧地区的其他国家相比如何呢?
But how does that compare to other countries in the Nordic region?
“例如，我们与瑞典和挪威比起来，有一个主要优势，那就是我们的国家电网。它是世界上最可靠、最稳健、并且没有瓶颈的国家电网。你可以在全国范围内以同样的价格购买我们的电。
“We have one major advantage over Sweden and Norway, for example, and that's our national grid. It's the most reliable and robust in the world with no bottlenecks. You can buy electricity across the country at the same price.
“在瑞典和挪威，有四个不同的价格区域，因为这两个国家将廉价电力从北部输送到用电量最大的南部时，受到容量限制。如果建造足够大的管道来传输所有的电力的话，造价实在太贵了。这意味着北欧南部的价格更接近中欧，而北欧北部的价格则相对更便宜。相反，在芬兰，我们在全国范围内都提供同等低价电费。”
“In Sweden and Norway, there are four different price areas because they have capacity limitations in transferring cheap electricity from the north to the south, where the consumption is largest. It’s simply too expensive to build big enough pipes to transfer all that electricity. That means the southern part of the Nordics is closer to Central Europe pricing while the northern parts are cheaper. Instead, in Finland, we offer that low price point nationwide.”
总的来说，北欧在可持续能源方面一直处于领先地位，今天我们绝大多数的电力都是完全可再生的——来自FDCA的Eero Lindqvist如是说。
The Nordics in general, have been leading the pack on sustainable energy, and today the vast majority of our electricity is fully renewable - Eero Lindqvist, FDCA
廉价电力是一回事，但目前全球最大的需求是绿色电力。正如 Lindqvist所解释的那样，芬兰很幸运，能够同时提供即廉价又绿色的电力。
Cheap electricity is one thing, but the biggest demand from across the world right now is for green electricity. As Lindqvist explains, Finland is in the fortunate position to be able to offer both.
“总的来说，北欧国家在可持续能源方面一直处于领先地位，而今我们绝大多数的电力都是完全可再生的，还有一些核能。但即便如此，核能也是好的，因为它没有碳排放。但是像中欧、波兰甚至英国那样用化石燃料发电的情况，已经很少见了。”
“The Nordics in general, have been leading the pack on sustainable energy, and today the vast majority of our electricity is fully renewable, with some nuclear. But even then, nuclear is good because there are no carbon emissions. But there is very little fossil fuel-based electricity production such as that continuing in Central Europe, Poland, and even Great Britain.”
对于价格更低廉的能源来说，另一个关键优势是更低廉的冷却。但是，我们认为，越靠近北极圈，这种（冷却）能力就越强，而北极圈也有它本身要面临的挑战。事实上，我们得知，事实远非如此，其实住在人口稠密的南部地区有很多益处。
Another key advantage of cheaper energy is cheaper cooling. But, we assume, the capacity for this is greater the further you go toward the Arctic Circle, which then presents its own challenges. In fact, we’re told that nothing could be further from the truth and there are significant benefits to staying in the more populous, southern parts of the country.
“你不必去Lapland或更遥远的北方地区，因为即使是在芬兰的南部，每年也可以为你提供超过8000小时的自然冷却条件，而在更遥远的北方地区，可能还会再多出数百小时。”在北部，光纤连接不是很好，而天气条件的变化往往更明显。
“You don't have to go to Lapland or the far north, because even the southern part of Finland can bring you over 8,000 hours of free cooling per year, and in the far north, maybe hundreds more. Up north, fiber connectivity is not as good, while variation in weather conditions tends to be larger.
“还有一个更好的机会，那就是在居民区内，你可以将多余的热量出售。除了单纯的数据中心冷却，你还可以把数据中心产生的热能出售给当地的能源公司，以赚取额外的收入。芬兰至少有六个数据中心已经在这样做了。还有一个更利好的消息是，自2022年7月1日起，对于数据中心来说，如果能将余热转售给区域供热的话，那么可以获得较低的电力税税率——每千瓦时可减少2美分，这笔省下来的税费还是是相当可观的。”
“An even better opportunity is that within residential areas you can sell your excess heat. Instead of just pure cooling, you can sell the heat to the local energy company and earn extra revenue. There are at least half a dozen data centers in Finland already doing that. Better still, since 1st July 2022, data centers reselling waste heat to district heating have a lower rate of electricity tax – a deduction of two cents per kilowatt hour, which is quite substantial.”
除了拥有丰富的电力，芬兰还是世界上人均大学毕业生占比最高的国家之一，这让芬兰成为解决全球技能短缺问题的理想地点。我们向Lindqvist提问，芬兰是如何克服近年来一直困扰着每个行业的这些困难的。
On top of the abundance of power, Finland also boasts one of the highest proportions of university graduates per capita in the world, making it a perfect location for beating the global skills shortage. We ask Lindqvist how Finland has been able to overcome odds that have been the bane of every sector in recent years.
Lindqvist回答说：“我们积极努力地让能够进入高等教育系统的人数尽可能地增加，其中包括应用科学大学，这些大学为学生提供更多实践培训，同时通常来说，这些大学还与当地企业合作，对学生进行实际技能培养。这些大学可以将学生派往那些企业中参加工作实习，作为（这些实际技能培养）课程的一部分。”
He tells us, “We have actively tried to increase the number of people who get into the higher education system, which includes universities of applied sciences where you get more hands-on training and gain practical skills usually run in conjunction with local businesses. Universities can send students to work there for on-the-job training as part of the course.”
所有这些内容听起来都很神奇，但是该如何将这些内容应用于数据中心呢？就是那些需要非常特殊技能的数据中心?
All of this sounds amazing, but how does that apply to data centers, which require a very particular skill set?
“我们试图在需求最大的领域培养一些人，以确保他们一毕业就能够找到工作。芬兰作为一个领土面积如此小的国家，我们必须这样做才能在国际舞台上有自己的竞争力。FDCA作为一个协会，与一些能够提供数据中心运营课程的应用科学型大学进行合作。”
“We try to educate people in areas where there is the most demand, to ensure that they will get to work when they graduate. We are such a small nation that we have to do so in order to compete on the global stage. FDCA, as an association, has worked together with some universities of applied sciences which provide courses on data center operation.”
所有这些都表明芬兰正在将自己作为过去十年来主导数据中心行业的FLAP-D国家的替代选择。我们也询问了Lindqvist的意见，看看他是否认为已经显示出超出容量的FLAP-D已经过时了。
All of this suggests that Finland is offering itself up as an alternative to the FLAP-D nations which have come to dominate the data center industry over the past decade. We ask Lindqvist if he believes that FLAP-D, which is already showing signs of exceeding capacity, has had its day.
“在未来的许多年里，FLAP-D仍将是一个主要的、重要的市场，但我们注意到这个FLAP-D市场的增长边界——寻找到合适的地块以及功率限制这两个方面都是有局限性的。公众也可能会强烈反对在某些地区建立新的数据中心。
“FLAP-D will still be a major, important market for many years to come but we are seeing the boundaries for growth in that market, with limitations to find suitable plots and power limitations. There can also be strong, public opposition to building new data centers in certain areas.
“我认为这就是超大规模数据中心寻找新建设地点的原因，我们注意到北欧是一个备受关注的区域。我还看到在南欧，例如西班牙和葡萄牙，有很多新项目正在启动。这并不是说FLAP-D已经结束了，而是市场变得更加多样化了，芬兰在其中扮演着重要角色。”
“I think that's why hyperscalers are looking for alternative places to build new capacity and we have noticed that the Nordics is one area on the radar. I've also seen quite a few new projects starting in Southern Europe, for example, Spain and Portugal. It’s less that FLAP-D is over, more that the market is becoming more multifaceted and Finland has an important part to play.”
那么，这是否标志着芬兰工业产出形式转型的开始呢?
Does this, then, mark the start of a transformation in the form of Finland’s industrial output?
“芬兰传统上有很多重工业，例如造纸厂等诸如此类的，但芬兰这类工业正在日渐萎缩。这为数据中心等新的创新型行业创造了发展空间。这就是为什么我认为我们芬兰在满足（当前市场）需求方面处于有利地位。这是一个没有什么弊端的积极的情况。”
“Finland has traditionally had a lot of heavy industry – paper mills and similar, but that type of industry is shrinking. That makes room for new innovations such as data centers. That's why I think that we are in a good position to cover the demand. It’s a positive situation with no drawbacks.”
这也是一个积极的过程，巨额投资确保该国的基础设施准备好满足未来几年的需求，始终以可持续性发展为核心。
It’s an active process too, with huge investments in making sure that the country's infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of the coming years, always with sustainability at its heart.
芬兰计划到2035年实现碳中和。当我们朝着这个方向前进时，意味着我们的能源系统必须更新，所以我们正在大力研究这些行业的电气化。政府计划是在欧盟生产占绿氢总量10%的部分。我们目前的年用电量约为85太瓦时，如果我们想生产这10%的绿氢，这意味着用电量将增加55太瓦时。”（译者注：所谓绿氢，是指利用可再生能源分解水得到的氢气，其燃烧时只产生水，从源头上实现了二氧化碳零排放，是纯正的绿色新能源，在全球能源转型中扮演着重要角色。）
“Finland has set out to be carbon neutral by 2035. As we’re driving towards that, it means that the energy system has to be renewed, so we are heavily working on electrification of these industries. The government plan is to produce 10 percent of the green hydrogen in the EU. Our current annual electricity consumption is around 85 terawatt hours, and if we want to produce that 10 percent, it means that electricity consumption will increase by 55 terawatt hours.”
在我们的谈话中，Lindqvist热情地谈到了芬兰的绿色资质。因此，我们很好奇，为什么芬兰的能源结构中仍然有这么多传统的化石燃料。
Throughout our chat, Lindqvist has spoken passionately about Finland’s green credentials. We’re curious, therefore, why there remains so much traditional fossil fuel in Finland’s energy mix.
“这种仍然使用传统化石燃料的情况真的是在慢慢地结束。主要是金属工业仍在使用煤炭，但他们计划用氢能取代煤炭，这是一个具有前瞻性的倡议。林业和生物工业不使用任何化石燃料。能源公司仍在使用一些化石燃料，但这种使用化石燃料的情况将逐渐消失，煤炭在几年之内将被生物质能、绿色电力和热泵所取代。我们仍然有一些天然气的消耗，虽然不是那么多，但还是有一些，而船用汽车部门仍然使用基于燃料的碳氢化合物，我认为这是我们仍然需要改进的地方。”
“It's really winding down. It's mostly the metal industry that still uses coal, but they have plans to replace that coal with hydrogen, which is a huge initiative. Forestry and Bioindustries are not using any fossil fuels. The energy companies are still using some, but that will disappear, with coal replaced by biomass, green electricity, and heat pumps, within a few years. We still have some consumption of natural gas – not that much, but some, while marine automotive sectors are still using fuel-based hydrocarbons – that's where I think that we still need to improve.”
早些时候，我们谈到了将工业过程中产生的多余的热量回收到其他地方使用的想法。您能否举例说明这种余热回收具体是如何实现的?
Earlier we talked about the idea of returning excess heat from industrial processes to be used elsewhere. Can you give us some examples of how this is being achieved?
“余热回收再利用有一些有趣的举措和发展方向。例如，预热回收可以用在供暖系统中。通常来讲，当这些供暖系统有像风力发电那样的、特别丰富的，价格也非常低廉的能源的话，那么它甚至是亏损的，所以你实际上是为消耗电力付费的。我们现在面临的问题是，当电力变得更贵的时候，你如何把多余的电能储存起来，以便后续再使用?
“There are some interesting initiatives and developments. For example, in heating systems. Usually, when these systems have such an abundance of, for example, wind power, it's really cheap. It can be even negative so you are actually paid for consuming electricity. The question we face now is, how can you store that and use it later when electricity is more expensive?
Lindqvist 举了一个例子来说明这是如何发生的:
Lindqvist gives one example of just how this is happening:
芬兰中部的一家公司在一个装满沙子的大筒仓里建造了一个电池。他们给电池通电，加热到600度左右。然后，他们后续再将热量释放到区域供热系统中。本质上，他们创造了一个热电池。
“One company in central Finland has built a battery in a big silo filled with sand. They heat that, with electricity, up to around 600 degrees. Then, later on, they can discharge that heat to the district heating system. Essentially, they have created a heat battery.
“我认为我们将会看到类似的事情发生，我们以某种方式在有风的日子里捕获廉价的电力，并将其储存起来，留着在可再生能源生产较少的日子里使用。其他能源公司也在用热水做类似的事情。”
“I think we are going to see similar types of things where we somehow capture cheap electricity on windy days and store it to use on days when there's less renewable production. Other energy companies have been doing a similar thing with hot water.”
重要的是要记住，芬兰在科技领域并不是新秀，而且芬兰在保护自己国家的公民和企业的敏感数据方面有着良好的记录。有人会有疑问，是什么促使这个国家在数据保护方面投资如此之多。答案（至少部分）是基于世界事件的。
It’s important to remember that Finland is no newcomer to the technology sector and has a proven track record of keeping a close guard on sensitive data, both for its citizens and its businesses. We ask what has driven the country to invest so much in data protection. The answer lies, at least in part, in world events.
其主要动机是我们的“东方邻国”。我们希望保守我们的秘密，这意味着要有一个经过深思熟虑和架构完善的系统来处理敏感数据——如何存储这些敏感数据，如何访问这些敏感数据——因此从我记事的时候开始，我们国家就有关于敏感数据的强有力的国家立法和监管措施。
“The major motivation for that has been our “Eastern Neighbor”. We want to keep our secrets secret, which means having a well-thought-out and architected system to handle sensitive data – how to store it, and who can access it – so for as long as I can remember we have had robust national legislation and regulation.
“我们也倾向于不相信从另一个国家购买安全硬件，即使是被视为友好盟友的国家也不行，因为如果我们处于危机状态，我们需要知道如果这个安全硬件坏了我们该如何更换或修理它。相反地，我们已经围绕加密和电信建立了一个完整的行业。”
“We also tend not to trust buying security hardware from another country, even if seen as a friendly ally, because if we are in a crisis situation, we need to know how we can replace or fix it if it gets broken. Instead, we have built an entire industry around that, both cryptographic and of course, telecommunication.”
对潜在投资者来说，数据完整性显然是一个有吸引力的特点，另一个原因是芬兰在政治诚信方面也享有声誉，芬兰在2022年的透明国际清廉指数中排名第二（译者注：透明国际（Transparency International）发布的清廉指数（The Corruption Perceptions Index，缩写为 CPI））。Lindqvist解释说，像芬兰这样的小一点的国家更有可能分享信任与合作的基本价值观。
Data integrity is an obviously attractive trait to potential investors, while another comes from the fact that Finland has a reputation for political integrity too, coming second in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index in 2022. Lindqvist explains that smaller nations, such as his, have a higher likelihood of sharing fundamental values of trust and cooperation.
“作为一个体量较小的国家，你往往比较了解与你打交道的人，这让信任的建立变得相对容易。虽然我们有右翼和左翼两种不同的政治立场，但他们有着相同的基本价值观和相似的世界观。这是我们经历的漫长而复杂的历史的结果，所以我觉得这样的特点已经植入了我们的基因。如果你不小心丢失了钱包，那发生这种事最好的地方是芬兰，因为你很可能会把它找回来。我读到的一项调查发现，在赫尔辛基大约70%的丢失钱包被物归原主，这让赫尔辛基成为世界上这一比例最高的城市。”
“As a small nation, you tend to know the people you are dealing with, and that makes it easier to build trust. Even though we have right-wing and left-wing politics, they have the same basic values and a similar view of the world. It’s a result of the long, complex history that we have had, so it’s built into the genes, I guess. If you ever lose a wallet, the best place to lose it is in Finland because you’ll probably get it back. A survey I read found that in Helsinki about 70 percent of lost wallets are returned to the owner, the highest proportion of any world city.”
当然，作为诺基亚的诞生地，谈起芬兰就不能不提及它在电信领域的悠久历史。芬兰拥有先进的电信基础设施，这对潜在的数据中心投资者来说更具吸引力，这可能并不奇怪。芬兰的无线网络是全面的，拥有亚洲以外最广泛的5G网络之一，因此，芬兰是世界上移动数据用户最多的国家之一。Lindqvist向我们透露更多的信息，解释这对芬兰人的日常生活意味着什么。
Of course, as the birthplace of Nokia, it’s impossible to talk about Finland without mentioning its long history in telecommunications. It probably isn’t surprising to learn that Finland has an advanced telecoms infrastructure, which brings even more appeal for potential data center investors. Its wireless network is comprehensive, with one of the most extensive 5G networks outside Asia and, as a result, its citizens are among the highest users of mobile data in the world. Lindqvist tells us a little more about what that means for Finns on a day-to-day basis.
Lindqvist说到：“我们的手机订阅中有无限流量套餐。你每月支付固定的费用，你可以随心所欲地使用数据流量。去年，每个芬兰公民每月的平均移动数据消费量约为66gb，并且每年都在增长。这意味着芬兰的移动网络必须处于良好的状态才能应对这个情况。事实上，4G网络的容量已经不足以处理数据传输了，这就是为什么移动运营商已经非常迅速地建立5G网络来应对持续增长的数据体量，同时运营商开始关闭他们的3G网络了。”
“We have unlimited data plans in our mobile subscription. You pay a flat monthly fee and you can use as much data as you want. Last year, the average mobile data consumption per Finnish citizen was something like 66 gigabytes per month and it's growing every year. That means the network has to be in good shape to handle it. In fact, the capacity of 4G networks was not sufficient to handle the data transfer, which is why mobile operators have been very quick to build 5G networks to cope with the growing volumes, and operators are beginning to shut down their 3G networks.”
基于光纤的网络上的有线数据传输也同样成熟，并且以惊人的速度扩展。
Wired data transfer over fiber-based networks is similarly mature and rollout has expanded at a colossal rate.
“我们当地的运营商已经拆除了铜电缆。全部改为纯光纤的，这让很多人感到震惊。五年前，你可能无法将光纤连接到家里，即使是在住宅区也无法做到，但现在，各个公司正在建设纯暗光纤网络，这个行业正在蓬勃发展。也就是说，许多人更喜欢固定的无线接入(住宅5G)，因为你可以在没有固定走线的情况下获得同样的百兆网速。”
“Our local operators have already removed copper cables. It's fiber-only and that comes to many as a shock. Five years ago, you probably couldn't get a fiber connection to your home, even in residential areas, but nowadays, companies are building pure dark fiber networks, and that industry is booming. That said, many people prefer to get fixed wireless access (residential 5G) because you can get the same, hundred-megabit speeds without a fixed-line.”
我们当地的运营商已经拆除了铜电缆。全部改为纯光纤的，这让很多人感到震惊——Eero Lindqvist, FDCA - Getty Images
Our local operators have already removed copper cables. It's fiber-only and that comes to many as a shock - Eero Lindqvist, FDCA– Getty Images
毫无疑问，Lindqvist为在芬兰建立数据中心提出了一个令人信服的理由。接下来的问题是，芬兰是否为将业务转移到该国的公司提供具体的激励措施。他告诉我们:
There’s no doubt that Lindqvist makes a compelling case for locating data centers in Finland. The next question is whether there are specific incentives offered for moving operations to the country. He tells us:
“在芬兰落户并没有什么特别的好处或特别的补贴，但由于这个国家的建立方式，（使得在这里落户）也没有什么障碍。可以肯定的是，如果你能在芬兰（成立公司）开展一个可靠的商业案例，你不会遇到任何令人讨厌的意外。当然了，还会有很多诱人的福利，比如说，较低的电力税就是一个很好的例子，在地方上也有一些对企业的激励措施，这取决于你的公司建在哪里。
“It’s less about specific benefits or particular subsidies to locate in Finland, but because of the way the country is set up, there are no barriers either. You can be sure that if you can make a solid business case to locate here, you won't get any nasty surprises. Of course, there are many “carrots”, with the lower electricity tax being a good example, and there are some incentives at a local level, depending on the area where you are building.
“有些是您在为公司选址时就应该调查的事情。例如土地的价格。如果一个市政当局拥有一块地块，那么为了鼓励公司在那里落户，当局甚至可能以一欧元的价格出售这个地块，或者至少以一个非常有竞争力的价格出售。所以您可以与当地政府进行洽谈，双方共同探讨一下有哪些优惠是可用的，您可能会发现一些非常吸引力的优惠政策。”
“That's something that you should investigate when you make your site selection. Land pricing is one example here. If a municipality owns the land, to encourage a company to locate there, it may even sell the plot for a euro, or at least for a very competitive price. Talk with the local authorities and discuss what is available and you may find some attractive benefits.”
综上所述，新投资者将会买入什么才是Lindqvist所认为的芬兰雄起呢？
So to summarize, what does Lindqvist see as the ambitions for Finland that a new investor will be buying into?
“有两个指定的目标。一个目标是绿色转型。芬兰希望成为绿色转型方面的先行者，这就是为什么我们有这个积极的目标来实现碳中和。我们认为开发和采用绿色技术是为我们开辟新市场的一种方式。另一个目标是建立一个数字社会，因为这也会减少我们的碳排放。
“There are two named goals. One is the green transition. Finland wants to be a forerunner in that, and that's why we have this aggressive target to become carbon neutral. We see developing and adopting green technologies as a way to open up new markets for us. The other is to build a digital society because that also brings savings in our carbon footprint.
“在数字平台上做事意味着你不需要出差或邮寄纸质文件之类的东西。这也意味着社会运行更加顺畅，因为数据是即时可用的，并且是最新的数据。我们希望在这两个领域中发展我们的技术、我们的国家和我们的能力。我觉得您已经可以从我们规划教育的方式中看出这些端倪。”
“Doing things on a digital platform means you don't have to travel or mail papers, and that kind of thing. It also means society runs more smoothly because data is instantly available, and up to date. Those are the two areas where we want to develop our technology, our country, and our competence. I think you can see that already in the way that we plan education.”
最后，我们在您的年度会议前夕发表讲话。请告诉我们的代表们，我们可以有怎样的期待。
Finally, we’re speaking to you on the eve of your annual conference. Tell us a little bit about what delegates can expect.
“我们有一个优秀的项目。我们将讨论当前的热门话题，我们有一些杰出的演讲者。您可以见到我们的会员和合作伙伴，所以这是一个建立人际关系的好地方。芬兰数据中心协会成立于2014年，2024年将迎来芬兰数据中心的第十个生日。
“We have an excellent program. We’ll be talking about hot topics of the moment, and we have some brilliant presenters there. You get to meet our members and partners, so it's a great place for networking. The Finnish Data Center Association was founded in 2014 so next year we reach our 10th birthday.
“从早期开始，我们每年都会与会员和合作伙伴们共同举行秋季研讨会，一起讨论和学习新事物，分享前沿信息，并相互了解。在过去的十年里，这已经变成了我们每年必做的大事，参加人数也一直在稳步增长。目前我们大约有250到300名与会者和大约20个合作伙伴，每年我们都会吸引更多的国际参会者。
“Since the early days, we have had a yearly fall meeting with our members and partners to discuss and learn new things, share information, and get to know each other. Over the past decade, that has turned into a huge event and has been growing steadily. There are something like 250 to 300 attendees and about 20 partners, and every year we attract more international attendees.
“我们试图让这个大会非常专注于会议内容——大会不应该演变为一个销售活动，虽然，当然了，销售方面的内容仍然会发生，但销售肯定不是大会主要的焦点。这个会议主要还是是关于分享信息和想法，彼此之间建立联系，参会者一起享受乐趣。今年我们有一些关于量子计算的演讲。”
“We try to keep it very much focused on the content – it’s not supposed to be a sales event, though, of course, that still happens, but it's certainly not the main focus. It's about sharing information and ideas, making connections, and having fun together. This year we have a few presentations about quantum computing.”
芬兰和量子计算的结合体现了这个国家的巨大雄心。当我们会议结束时，我们忍不住进一步询问，而答案是令人惊讶的。
Finland and quantum computing is a combination that speaks to the country’s enormous ambitions. As we wrap up, we can’t resist enquiring further and the answer is surprising.
“事实上，芬兰是目前欧洲唯一一个制造量子芯片的国家。芬兰初创公司IQM正在制造自己的量子芯片。其他能制造量子芯片的国家就是美国和中国了，”Lindqvist 解释说，然后补充道，“昨天，我参观了IQM的工厂，在那里我看到了几台量子计算机。我认为，到本世纪末，我们将在常规数据中心看到量子计算机和经典计算机一起使用。”
“Actually, Finland is currently the only country in Europe that makes quantum chips. IQM – a Finnish startup is building its own quantum chips. The only other countries making quantum chips are the US and China,” Lindqvist explains, before adding, “Yesterday, I visited IQM’s factory and saw several quantum computers. I think that by the end of this decade, we are going to see quantum computers in regular data centers alongside classical computers.”
毫无疑问，对于数据中心运营商来说，他们正在寻找成本效益高、连接良好、气候意识强、安全可靠、具有前瞻性，并拥有解决全球技能短缺问题的知识库的地方，那么芬兰符合他们的很多条件，随着传统数据中心热点超出其容量，它代表了一个可以代表数据中心未来的国家的例子。
There’s little doubt, then, that Finland ticks a lot of boxes for data center operators looking for options to locate somewhere that’s cost-effective, well-connected, climate-conscious, secure, and forward-looking, with a knowledge pool that beats the global skills shortage. As traditional data center hotspots reach beyond their capacity, it represents an example of exactly the sort of country that could represent the future of data centers.
翻译：
李卓威
液冷数据中心基础设施相关工作者&英语爱好者
DKV（DeepKnowledge Volunteer）计划成员
校对：
王谋锐
城地香江(上海)云计算有限公司 电气架构师
DKV（DeepKnowledge Volunteer）计划精英成员
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