Key Highlights
- Nebius announced construction plans for a major AI data center in Lappeenranta, Finland, featuring up to 310 MW of power capacity.
- The project carries an estimated valuation exceeding $10 billion, with customer operations planned to begin in 2027.
- NBIS shares have gained 10% year-to-date, while competitors CoreWeave and IREN have declined 3.4% and 16% respectively.
- Recent strategic partnerships include a $2 billion Nvidia investment and a cloud services contract with Meta valued up to $27 billion.
- The company aims to secure over 3 GW of contracted power capacity worldwide before 2025 concludes, having already locked in 750+ MW across EMEA markets.
Shares of Nebius (NBIS) climbed to $95.31 during Tuesday’s premarket session, representing a 3.3% increase before regular trading commenced.
The AI infrastructure provider has delivered impressive returns in early 2026. Through Monday’s closing bell, NBIS had climbed 10% year-to-date, contrasting sharply with other neocloud operators. CoreWeave has retreated 3.4% over the same period, while IREN has tumbled 16%.
The premarket rally followed Nebius’s disclosure of a significant data center development in Lappeenranta, Finland.
The planned installation will deliver up to 310 MW of power capacity, positioning it among Europe’s most substantial AI infrastructure developments. According to Nebius, initial customer deployments are scheduled for 2027.
Nebius chose not to disclose specific investment amounts for the development, though Reuters placed the project’s estimated worth above $10 billion.
“This represents a multiyear capital commitment that aligns with the substantial demand we’re observing for AI infrastructure,” a company representative stated. “We’re in active discussions with diverse potential customers spanning AI-native enterprises, traditional businesses, and academic research organizations.”
Chief Executive Arkady Volozh characterized the Lappeenranta location as “a meaningful expansion of our worldwide AI infrastructure deployment strategy.”
Major Strategic Partnerships Drive Growth
The stock’s robust 2026 trajectory has benefited from two pivotal agreements. Nvidia announced a $2 billion capital commitment to Nebius earlier in the year. Following that development, the company finalized a cloud computing partnership with Meta Platforms carrying a potential total value reaching $27 billion.
These strategic arrangements have differentiated Nebius from other neocloud providers, which have experienced greater price swings driven by retail investor activity and changing market sentiment toward AI-related equities.
Operating from its Netherlands headquarters while maintaining a U.S. stock exchange listing, Nebius has established an ambitious goal of securing more than 3 GW of contracted power capacity before year-end.
Across EMEA territories, the company has already contracted over 750 MW of power. This figure includes an AI computing facility near Lille, France, designed to achieve 240 MW capacity at full operational scale.
European AI Infrastructure Boom Continues
The Finnish project announcement arrives during a period of accelerated AI infrastructure investment throughout Europe.
French artificial intelligence company Mistral obtained $830 million in debt financing this week to support a data center near Paris. The firm previously revealed a 1.2 billion euro initiative to establish computing capabilities in Sweden.
British startup Nscale completed a $2 billion funding round this month at a $14.6 billion valuation, with plans for data center construction across Europe and the United States.
Additional recent developments include a 1.4 GW AI campus project in France involving MGX, Bpifrance, Mistral, and Nvidia, alongside Brookfield’s announced investment of up to $9.9 billion in a Swedish AI data center. OpenAI has also revealed plans for a Stargate-style installation in Norway, partnering with Nscale.
Earlier in the month, Nebius disclosed regulatory approval for its first gigawatt-scale data center facility, planned for construction in Missouri.
