OpenAI’s First AI Data Center in Europe

Norway will host OpenAI’s first AI data center in Europe, a key development under the company’s Stargate project, which aims to build the infrastructure needed for generative AI. The Stargate Norway initiative, which involves collaborations with companies such as Oracle and SoftBank, will bolster Europe’s computing capabilities.

“Stargate Norway will help provide the compute power to drive the next wave of AI breakthroughs and economic progress for Europe, in Europe,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.

What is OpenAI going to build in Norway?

The company plans to build a data center holding 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026. It will launch 230MW of capacity to start, with the possibility of expanding up to 290MW. The project is a joint venture between Nscale, an AI infrastructure provider based in Norway, and Aker, a Norwegian industrial investment company. Ownership will be split 50% between Aker and 50% between Nscale.

“Sovereign, scalable and sustainable infrastructure is now essential to remain competitive,” said Nscale CEO Josh Payne. “We’re proud to partner with Aker, drawing on the team’s extensive experience and impressive track record, to deliver a new generation of AI economic and productivity growth in Europe.”

The facility will be located in Kvandal, a hamlet outside of the town of Narvik in the north of the country.

“With Stargate Norway, we’re creating new jobs, activity, and long-term opportunities in Narvik and the region,” said Øyvind Eriksen, president and CEO of Aker.

Powered by renewable energy

OpenAI will be an offtaker, which is an entity that purchases renewable energy, in a country where 98% of the power grid comes from renewable energy. The Stargate facility will run entirely on renewable power, OpenAI said.

The chips at work in the data center will be kept chilly by closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling. Excess heat will be siphoned off to low-carbon enterprises, according to OpenAI.

“The launch of Stargate Norway marks a new chapter in AI infrastructure in Europe,” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said in an announcement video. “We’re entering a new industrial era. Just as electricity and the internet became foundational to modern life, AI will become essential infrastructure.”

Norway added to OpenAI for Countries initiative

The Stargate project aligns with the OpenAI for Countries initiative, which aims to provide localized instances of “democratic” AI. As part of the community-outreach aspect of the program, OpenAI proposed it will prioritize access for Norwegian AI startups and scientific researchers. If demand does not match the data center’s capacity, additional workloads will be made available to users in the UK, Nordics, and Northern Europe.

The company is also exploring collaborations with the Norwegian government to increase AI adoption and support Norway’s sovereign AI goals.

Stargate’s global footprint

The first data center built under the Stargate project is under construction in Abilene, Texas. As of May, some financing talks were facing uncertainty as global tensions shifted.

OpenAI has also launched Stargate-related initiatives in the United Arab Emirates and formed partnerships with the UK and Estonia.

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