Google illegally demolished an estimated 250,000 trees in Finland to make way for a data center, leaving behind a lifeless mud wasteland that forced packs of wolves into a nearby town in search of food and infuriated locals, according to a report.
The tech super giant – continuing its expansion of the booming artificial intelligence industry – cleared 816 acres of woodlands in Northern Finland, The Guardian reported Thursday.
Google is accused of removing the trees and clearing the land before it had full approval — as Finnish law requires companies to complete a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment before large-scale operations.
Finnish officials, outraged by the mass destruction, suspended all development at two of Google’s data center sites to assess the environmental impact.
