President Donald Trump is urging Google to reconsider plans for a massive artificial intelligence infrastructure investment in Finland, arguing that permitting difficulties in the United States should not push the technology company to build major facilities abroad. Trump made the comments Monday as he pushed back against calls for additional regulation of the rapidly expanding AI industry.

Google announced September 9 that it plans to invest €13 billion, roughly $15.1 billion, in Finland over the next two years. The project includes new data centers and supporting digital infrastructure in several Finnish communities and represents Google's largest single investment in Europe.

Trump specifically pointed to permitting requirements as a reason for Google’s decision, saying the company had indicated that it was finding the process too difficult in the United States. He urged Google to change course and invest more of its AI infrastructure in America.

Google has said its Finnish expansion is intended to meet growing demand for services including Gemini, Search, Maps and YouTube. The company also cited Finland’s existing energy infrastructure, clean electricity supply and favorable conditions for operating energy-intensive data centers.

The Finnish project includes plans for three new data centers as well as an agreement with energy company Fortum that could provide Google with up to half of the output from Finland’s Loviisa nuclear power plant for 22 years. Google also plans to invest in grid improvements, clean energy and battery storage alongside the data center expansion.

Trump’s criticism comes as his administration argues that the United States needs to accelerate AI and data center development rather than impose regulations that could slow the industry. He has also warned that restrictions on American AI development could undermine the country’s ability to compete with China, while describing AI and data centers as major drivers of future economic growth.