Friday, August 29, 2025
The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

Friday, August 29, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Breaking News

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/strangnas-poised-to-become-northern-europes-ai-capital/

Sweden

Strängnäs poised to become Northern Europe’s AI capital

The future of AI

Published 6 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The cathedral in Strängnäs will soon have competition from a giant AI center.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Strängnäs, a municipality in Sweden, is preparing for one of the largest investments in its history. Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) plans to build one of Europe’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the city.

The data center, which will be built on an area of approximately 350,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 750 megawatts – more than twice as large as previously planned. The project is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs and approximately 2,000 jobs during the construction phase.

The investment amounts to approximately SEK 95 billion (€8.7 billion) and is expected to take 10–15 years.

– Strängnäs has all the conditions to become the location of Northern Europe’s first AI center. We can offer an excellent geographical location, we have a high level of education and good cooperation with the municipalities in the Mälardalen region, says Jacob Högfeldt (M), chairman of the municipal council in Strängnäs, to Datacenter-Forum.

Brookfield‘s European CEO, Sikander Rashid, highlights the importance of investing in AI infrastructure on a large scale.

– To be competitive in AI development and realize its economic productivity, it is important to invest at scale in the infrastructure that underpins this technology. This extends beyond data centers and into data transmission, chip storage and energy production.

Strängnäs part of a broader strategy

The investment in Strängnäs is part of Brookfield’s broader strategy to invest around €20 billion in AI infrastructure in Europe, which also includes plans for large data centers in France and other countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed his support for the investment on social media, emphasizing Sweden’s long tradition of strong companies.

Translation of above tweet: “Sweden has a long tradition of innovation and strong companies. AI is an incredible force that will enable Sweden to remain at the forefront. That is why the government is now developing a comprehensive AI strategy – and why we appointed the AI Commission. We are now seeing results.

I welcome the announcement today by the Canadian company Brookfield that it plans to invest up to SEK 95 billion in a new AI center in Strängnäs. It will be one of the largest data centers of its kind in Europe. It is also one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure to date in our country. I am particularly pleased that it is in my hometown.

We have a fantastic tech scene, and the latest investments from companies such as Brookfield, Nvidia, and Microsoft are clear proof of that.”

Sweden has competitive advantages that make the country attractive for large data center investments, including a relatively stable energy supply, high digital maturity, and proximity to academic hubs such as KTH and Uppsala University.

In addition, EU data protection regulations require sensitive data to be stored within the Union’s borders, which increases demand for local data centers.

The investment in the AI center could make Strängnäs a central node in Europe’s AI ecosystem and help strengthen Sweden’s role in the global AI race.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/ai-bots-becoming-swedes-psychologists/

Sweden

AI bots becoming Swedes’ psychologists

The future of AI

Published 15 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
AI chatbots' advice isn't necessarily bad - but often very impersonal and generic.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Instead of turning to professional therapists and seeking human contact, many Swedes have now begun seeking support and guidance from AI tools.

Psychologists simultaneously see serious risks with the development of treating the new technology as a substitute for therapy.

The trend is growing rapidly. When influencer and mental coach Alexandra Bylund shared a private text message conversation with her partner and asked ChatGPT for an assessment, the result was decisive.

“The answer? You could say it was clear. Raw. True… And it was the beginning of the end”, Bylund wrote afterward on Instagram about her divorce decision.

Her followers’ response was overwhelmingly positive. Bylund and her followers are also far from alone in viewing AI chatbots as conversation partners and guides that help them make important life decisions.

— People say it’s their best friend and best advisor, notes SVT (Swedish public television) reporter Alice Uhlin.

“Who is the sender?”

Psychologist Maria Farm sees the phenomenon as a logical consequence of societal development, despite it potentially seeming impersonal to discuss emotional life with an algorithm – but also emphasizes obvious dangers with the development.

— Who is the sender, is the first thing I think. It’s not a person who has intentions, and there can be ethical problems with that, she believes.

She points out that the advice isn’t necessarily bad, but often impersonal, general and anonymous.

— Several are good pieces of advice and I could absolutely give them myself, she admits at the same time.

“Doesn’t replace psychologists”

The effects of “AI therapy” is a largely unexplored area, and it’s highly unclear what impact the widespread use of chatbots actually has on users’ mental health.

Despite AI tools’ ability to often provide useful advice, Maria Farm emphasizes that the technology can never practically replace human professional help.

— It doesn’t replace psychotherapists and psychologists, she states firmly.

There have already been reported several cases where extremely vulnerable users have taken their own lives after relying too heavily on AI bots’ advice, which according to assessors underscores the need for caution.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/openai-launches-gpt-5-here-are-the-news-behind-the-new-chatgpt-model/

Tech

OpenAI launches GPT-5 – Here are the new features in the latest ChatGPT model

The future of AI

Published 8 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
"GPT-5 is the first time that it really feels like talking to an expert in any topic, like a PhD-level expert", claims CEO Sam Altman during the company's presentation of the new model.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

OpenAI released its new flagship model GPT-5 on Thursday, which is now available free of charge to all users of the ChatGPT chatbot service. The American AI giant claims that the new model is “the best in the world” and takes a significant step toward developing artificial intelligence that can perform better than humans in most economically valuable work tasks.

GPT-5 differs from previous versions by combining fast responses with advanced problem-solving capabilities. While previous AI chatbots could primarily provide smart answers to questions, GPT-5 can perform complex tasks for users – such as creating software applications, navigating calendars, or compiling research reports, writes TechCrunch.

— Having something like GPT-5 would be pretty much unimaginable at any previous time in history, said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during a press conference.

Better than competitors

According to OpenAI, GPT-5 performs somewhat better than competing AI models from companies like Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Elon Musk’s xAI on several important tests. In programming, the model achieves 74.9 percent on real coding tasks, which marginally beats Anthropic’s latest model Claude Opus 4.1, which reached 74.5 percent.

A particularly important improvement is that GPT-5 “hallucinates” – that is, makes up incorrect information – significantly less than previous models. When tested on health-related questions, the model gives incorrect answers only 1.6 percent of the time, compared to over 12 percent for OpenAI’s previous models.

This is particularly relevant since millions of people use AI chatbots to get health advice, despite them not replacing professional doctors.

New features and pricing models

The company has also simplified the user experience. Instead of users having to choose the right settings, GPT-5 has an automatic router that determines how it should best respond – either quickly or by “thinking through” the answer more thoroughly.

ChatGPT also gets four new personalities that users can choose between: Cynic, Robot, Listener, and Nerd. These customize how the model responds without users needing to specify it in each request.

For developers, GPT-5 is launched in three sizes via OpenAI’s programming interface, with the base model priced at €1.15 per million input words and €9.20 per million generated words.

The launch comes after an intense week for OpenAI, which also released an open AI model that developers can download for free. ChatGPT has grown to become one of the world’s most popular consumer products with over 700 million users every week – nearly 10 percent of the world’s population.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/openai-opens-data-center-in-norway/

Tech

OpenAI opens data center in Norway

The future of AI

Published 3 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In Norway, OpenAI is planning to establish one of Europe's largest AI data centers as part of the global Stargate project.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

In Norway, OpenAI plans to establish one of Europe’s largest AI data centers as part of the global Stargate project. The facility will be built in the northern parts of the country and operated entirely on renewable energy.

Stargate was launched earlier this year as a comprehensive AI initiative with the goal of strengthening the US dominance in artificial intelligence. The project is a collaboration between American OpenAI and Oracle, along with Japanese SoftBank, with the ambition to build a global AI infrastructure at a cost of up to $500 billion over the next four years. This makes Stargate one of the largest technology investments in history.

First in Europe

On Thursday, OpenAI announced that the company plans to open a Stargate-branded data center in Norway. It will be the company’s first European facility of this kind.

The data center will be located in Kvandal, outside Narvik in northern Norway, and built in collaboration with British company Nscale and Norwegian Aker. OpenAI will function as a so-called “off-taker”, meaning the company will purchase capacity from the facility to power its AI services.

— Part of the purpose of this project is to partner with OpenAI and leverage European sovereign compute to release additional services and features to the European continent, says Josh Payne, CEO of Nscale, in an interview with CNBC.

Powered by hydroelectric energy

The data center, planned to be completed in 2026, will house up to 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs and have a capacity of 230 megawatts – making it one of the largest AI facilities in Europe. The facility will be operated entirely on so-called “green energy”, made possible by the region’s access to hydroelectric power.

The first phase of the project involves an investment of approximately $2 billion. Nscale and Aker have committed to contributing $1 billion each. The initial capacity is estimated at 20 megawatts, with ambitions to expand significantly in the coming years.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/tech/zuckerberg-skipping-ai-glasses-puts-you-at-a-cognitive-disadvantage/

Tech

Zuckerberg: Skipping AI glasses puts you at a “cognitive disadvantage”

The future of AI

Published 1 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
"The ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, and talk to you", believes the Meta CEO.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg warns that people without AI glasses will find themselves at a significant mental “disadvantage” in the future. During the company’s quarterly report, he shared his vision of glasses as the primary way to interact with artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, Meta released its quarterly report. In a call directed at investors, CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about the company’s investment in smart glasses and warned about the consequences of staying outside this development, reports TechCrunch.

— I continue to think that glasses are basically going to be the ideal form factor for AI, because you can let an AI see what you see throughout the day, hear what you hear, and talk to you, Zuckerberg said during the investor call.

By adding screens, even more value can be unlocked, he argued, whether it involves holographic fields of vision or smaller displays in everyday AI glasses.

— I think in the future, if you don’t have glasses that have AI – or some way to interact with AI – I think you’re … probably going to be at a pretty significant cognitive disadvantage compared to other people, he added.

Unexpected success

Meta has focused on “smart” glasses like the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta models. The glasses allow users to listen to music, take photos and ask questions to Meta AI. The products have become a surprising success – revenue from Ray-Ban Meta glasses more than tripled compared to the previous year.

However, the Reality Labs division has been costly. Meta reported $4,53 billion in operating losses for the second quarter, and since 2020, the unit has lost nearly $70 billion.

Competition is growing. OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s startup company this spring for $6.5 billion to develop AI devices, while other companies are exploring AI brooches and pendants.

However, Zuckerberg is convinced about the future of glasses and connects them to the Metaverse vision.

— The other thing that’s awesome about glasses is they are going to be the ideal way to blend the physical and digital worlds together, he concluded.

Meta has previously been known for contributing to the increasing surveillance society and has also ignored health aspects regarding radiation from wireless technology.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

N

Polaris of Enlightenment

News

Other

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow TNT socials!

X-twitter Facebook Telegram Instagram

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT.
All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate
Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.