OpenAI has announced the launch of a massive data center in Norway called Stargate, in its first physical expansion within Europe in this area. The project will be a partnership between Britain's Nscale and Norway's Aker Energy Infrastructure Company, through a 50 percent joint venture each.

A hub built on European partnerships

Nscale is designing and implementing the center, while OpenAI is a major consumer of the computing power that the center will generate, which means it will purchase a significant amount of the computing power generated by this site. The project aims to strengthen what is known as European sovereignty in artificial intelligence by providing computing services and processors within the European continent.

Nscale CEO Josh Payne stated that the goal of the project is to collaborate with OpenAI to provide sovereign computing on European soil, allowing new features and services to be launched in the region.

100,000 NVIDIA chips before the end of 2026

Stargate's hub in Norway aims to deploy 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026, with plans for continued expansion in the following years. With an initial capacity of 230 MW, the centre will become among the largest in Europe, relying entirely on renewables.

NVIDIA chips are the preferred choice for data centers around the world due to their superior ability to handle huge AI loads. The companies concerned have confirmed that the project will start with a first phase with a capacity of 20 MW, with Nscale and Aker allocating about $1 billion for this construction phase.

The project is located in the Kvendal area, near the northern city of Narvik, an area known for its abundance of hydropower and low local demand for electricity, as well as poor power transmission abroad, making it a logical and strategic option to use it locally.