OpenAI has announced Stargate Norway, its first AI data center initiative in Europe under the OpenAI for Countries program. It has a planned 230MW capacity and is expected to host 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of next year, with a significant future expansion hoped for. The site will be built by Nscale and Aker will help on the energy side of things, they will form a 50/50 joint venture, owning the site.
The Stargate Norway announcement follows Stargate UAE and other partnerships, indicating that OpenAI is looking at a global strategy for its infrastructure needs.
Stargate Norway will run entirely on renewable hydropower in Narvik, Norway. OpenAI cited low-cost energy, cool climate, and mature industrial base, explaining that these make it an ideal place for the project to take shape.
The facility will run on 100% renewable energy and will use closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling to ensure maximum cooling efficiency. The excess heat from the GPU systems will be made available to help support low-carbon enterprises in the region.
While renewable energy is often seen as an ethical choice, in the case of Stargate Norway, it is being chosen for entirely practical reasons. The data center will require loads of energy to power AI so using Norway’s hydropower makes a lot of sense.
OpenAI said that the project aims to deliver on Norway’s sovereign AI goals and provide sovereign compute capacity in Europe. The announcement also stated that Aker and Nscale will provide priority access to Norway’s AI ecosystem and any surplus capacity will be available to the public and private sectors across the UK, Nordics, and Northern Europe.
With the establishment of Stargate Norway, the country expects to see new jobs created, more economic activity, and AI research collaboration with local institutions. OpenAI called the deal “one of the most ambitious AI infrastructure investments in Europe to date.”