TLDR: OpenAI, in collaboration with Nscale Global Holdings and Aker ASA, is establishing Stargate Norway, a large-scale AI data center in northern Norway. This facility, OpenAI’s first major European data center, will be entirely powered by renewable energy and aims to deploy 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2026. The project, a 50:50 joint venture, signifies a substantial investment in European AI infrastructure, providing secure, scalable, and energy-efficient solutions for AI workloads across the continent.
OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company, has announced a significant strategic partnership with UK-based Nscale Global Holdings and Norway’s Aker ASA to launch ‘Stargate Norway,’ a groundbreaking AI data center project in Narvik, Northern Norway. This initiative marks OpenAI’s inaugural data center venture in Europe and is part of its ‘OpenAI for Countries’ program, aiming to localize AI infrastructure for European governments and enterprises.
The Stargate Norway facility is designed to be a ‘gigafactory’ for AI, with an ambitious target of deploying 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026. These GPUs are crucial for handling extensive AI workloads, positioning Stargate Norway as one of Europe’s most powerful sovereign AI clusters. The project is planned to deliver an initial capacity of 230 megawatts (MW), with ambitions to expand by an additional 290MW, making it one of the most significant AI infrastructure investments in Europe.
A core principle of the Stargate Norway project is long-term sustainability. The data center will be powered entirely by renewable energy, leveraging Norway’s abundant hydropower resources. The location in Kvandal, near Narvik, offers significant advantages, including low local electricity demand, limited transmission capacity, and power prices that are 30-40% below the European average. The cool climate also contributes to efficient operations. The facility is expected to incorporate closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling for maximum efficiency, and excess heat from the GPU systems will be made available to support low-carbon enterprises in the region.
The initiative is a 50:50 joint venture between Nscale and Aker, with OpenAI acting as the ‘offtaker,’ purchasing computing power from the facility. Nscale, a global AI infrastructure provider, will be responsible for designing and building the site, leveraging its expertise in delivering sovereign-grade AI infrastructure across Europe and North America. Josh Payne, CEO of Nscale, emphasized the project’s goal to collaborate with OpenAI to utilize European computing resources and introduce more services across the continent.
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This development aligns with Europe’s push for ‘autonomous AI,’ which necessitates local deployment and processing of data center workloads to enhance productivity and economic growth. The project is also expected to generate significant activity and a long-term operational presence in the Narvik region, creating approximately 1,200 direct jobs. Furthermore, Stargate Norway will collaborate with local and regional academic institutions to advance AI research and development, fostering regional expertise and innovation in Northern Norway. The broader Stargate infrastructure project, initially launched in the U.S., involves OpenAI, Oracle, Japan’s SoftBank, and the UAE’s MGX, with plans for a $500 billion investment over four years in AI infrastructure development.
