What To Know
- OpenAI Unveils Europe’s Next AI Superpower in Norway In a strategic and monumental expansion, OpenAI has announced the launch of a massive AI data center in Norway under its Stargate brand—marking its first such project in Europe.
- With a sustainable energy model, massive GPU firepower, and alignment with Europe’s sovereign AI goals, the Stargate project is poised to spark a new era of innovation and digital independence across the continent.
AI News: OpenAI Unveils Europe’s Next AI Superpower in Norway In a strategic and monumental expansion, OpenAI has announced the launch of a massive AI data center in Norway under its Stargate brand—marking its first such project in Europe. Set to become one of the continent’s largest AI hubs, the site will deploy a staggering 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2026 and run entirely on renewable hydropower. The site will be designed and built by British firm Nscale in partnership with Norwegian infrastructure giant Aker, through a 50-50 joint venture.
OpenAI to set up Nvidia powered megahub in Norway
Image Credit: AI-Generated
Located in Kvandal, near Narvik in northern Norway, the region was chosen for its abundant renewable energy, low local electricity usage, and strong potential for sustainable development. This AI News report confirms that OpenAI will act as the “off-taker,” essentially purchasing computing capacity from the site, which will launch with a 230-megawatt capacity and plans for significant future expansion.
A $2 Billion Commitment to Sovereign AI
Nscale and Aker are each committing about $1 billion to the initial 20-megawatt phase of the project. The initiative forms part of OpenAI’s broader Stargate infrastructure vision, originally introduced in the U.S. through collaborations with Oracle, Japan’s SoftBank, and UAE-based MGX. That global venture is expected to pump $500 billion into developing AI infrastructure worldwide over the next four years.
Europe’s version of Stargate is also tightly aligned with the continent’s growing emphasis on “sovereign AI”—the idea that European data and AI workloads should remain on European soil. According to Nscale CEO Josh Payne, this new data center will allow the continent to generate its own AI capabilities while reducing dependency on foreign infrastructure.
Europe’s AI Gaps and the Need for Scale
Europe has faced two significant challenges in building out its AI capabilities: a lack of large-scale computing power and a highly fragmented technological ecosystem. “What the continent needs is large AI infrastructure projects deploying compute [power],” Payne told CNBC. “The ecosystem can consume from the project to build AI products, to generate productivity growth and economic benefit.”
With Nvidia’s chips widely recognized as the gold standard for handling AI workloads, the Norwegian Stargate project could be a game-changer. It offers a European foundation for advanced AI development while boosting economic growth through local tech innovation.
The Race to Build Global AI Infrastructure
OpenAI’s European expansion comes amid a global race to establish next-gen AI infrastructure. In June, the company revealed plans for another Stargate campus in the UAE. Meanwhile, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has called on Europe to accelerate its infrastructure build-out to avoid falling behind the U.S. and Asia. French AI company Mistral is also joining the movement, planning its own Nvidia-powered data center in France.
While Nscale says there are no immediate plans for more Stargate-branded centers, it has a “robust European expansion plan” of its own. This bold Norway project could signal the beginning of a deeper commitment by OpenAI to support decentralized, sovereign AI infrastructure across the globe.
OpenAI’s foray into Norway is more than just another data center—it represents a seismic shift in the AI power balance in Europe. With a sustainable energy model, massive GPU firepower, and alignment with Europe’s sovereign AI goals, the Stargate project is poised to spark a new era of innovation and digital independence across the continent. For the latest on OpenAI, keep on logging to Thailand AI News.
