OpenAI has announced the launch of its first European AI data centre and one of the world’s largest GPU facilities.
Located just outside Narvik in Northern Norway, the project is being developed in partnership with Nscale Global Holdings and Norwegian industrial giant Aker ASA, under a $1 billion joint venture.
The Stargate Norway facility will deliver up to 520 megawatts of power capacity over time, with an initial deployment of 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026, according to the companies.
The site will run on renewable hydropower and use closed-loop liquid cooling to ensure energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
“Stargate Norway represents a critical step forward in building scalable, sustainable AI infrastructure in Europe,” said OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap in a statement. “It offers a new model for how advanced AI compute can be delivered responsibly and locally.”
The facility is being built in Kvandal, a region known for its cold climate, abundant clean energy, and low latency to key European markets. Norway’s long-standing commitment to sustainable industry made it a strategic choice, Lightcap added.
The project forms part of OpenAI’s new “OpenAI for Countries” programme, an initiative aimed at providing nations with locally governed compute infrastructure to support national AI strategies, academic research, and startup ecosystems.
Under this framework, Norwegian public institutions, researchers, and early-stage AI companies will receive priority access, while surplus capacity will be made available to partners across the Nordics, the UK, and Northern Europe.
“This isn’t just a data centre,” said Øyvind Eriksen, President and CEO of Aker ASA. “It’s a digital-industrial platform designed to empower our region’s ability to innovate with world-class AI tools on our own terms.”
Stargate Norway’s waste heat will be repurposed for district heating and low-carbon industrial use in Narvik and surrounding communities. The site will be capable of supplying compute to a wide range of workloads, including AI training, inference, and large-scale scientific simulations.
OpenAI will act as the initial offtaker, with future expansion left open for both public and private partners. Nscale and Aker have committed to funding the first ~20 MW phase, with additional capital to be raised as capacity scales.
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