Wartsila CEO eyes boost from Trump datacenter push

By Simon Jessop and Anne Kauranen

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - A push for U.S. datacentres to use their own power will boost demand for Wartsila's more environmentally friendly products and help underpin a "double-digit" percentage increase in hiring of servicing staff over the next two years, the Finnish energy company's CEO told Reuters.

The White House said on Wednesday it would meet with tech companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon and Meta, on March 4 to agree a plan to protect consumers from rising power costs tied to surging demand for AI-focused datacenters.

The issue is proving a hot-button topic ahead of the U.S. mid-term elections later this year, alongside growing concerns around environmental impacts such as water usage and pollution.

While demand was already strong, Wartsila expects to grow its delivery capacity for datacentre engines 80% by 2028, and the U.S. moves would provide a further tailwind for its more energy- and water-efficient products, Hakan Agnevall said.

"So far we've contracted for about 1.2 gigawatts of power for datacentres," Agnevall said, recalling "one particular situation where it was a very important factor for choosing our technology".

Datacentres increasingly rely on gas or diesel generators to provide backup power to avoid taxing the electrical grid, but some can use a lot of fuel and water to keep cool.

With a closed-loop cooling system, Wartsila's engine technology consumed "up to 2,000 times less water" than rivals' comparable gas turbines, while its engines create lower emissions and can cut fuel costs by 20-35%, the company said.

Earlier in February, the Finland-based company, which also sells engines to the marine industry, among others, missed fourth-quarter order forecasts but said datacentres were a bright spot.

The U.S. market is home to around half the world's datacentres and growth is expected to surge over the next few years as companies race to scale computing power, in turn fuelling competition for workers.

Agnevall said around half of the company's revenues currently come from servicing its engines once they are installed, and it has around 1,000 U.S.-based staff, a figure which could see double-digit growth over the next two years.

To ensure there are enough staff, though, Agnevall urged an increase in vocational training opportunities in the country.

"Everybody's looking for that type of talent," Agnevall said. "There is a strong demand... in the U.S., (but) there has, so far at least, been tight supply. We need more vocational training in the U.S."

(Reporting by Simon Jessop and Anne KauranenEditing by Peter Graff)