OpenAI has announced the launch of Stargate Norway, its first AI data centre initiative in Europe, under the company’s ‘OpenAI for Countries’ program. The company plans to bring large-scale compute power to Norway and the wider European AI ecosystem.
Located in Narvik, Stargate Norway is being developed in collaboration with infrastructure provider Nscale and industrial conglomerate Aker, forming a 50/50 joint venture. The facility aims to deliver an initial 230 megawatts (MW) of capacity, with plans to expand by an additional 290 MW, targeting the deployment of 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026.
This project is powered entirely by renewable energy, leveraging Narvik’s cool climate and abundant hydropower. It will use advanced closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling technology, enhancing energy efficiency, and will recycle excess GPU-generated heat to support low-carbon enterprises in the region, the company statement said.
Sam Altman-led OpenAI describes Stargate as the company’s overarching infrastructure platform that plays a pivotal role in its vision to democratize AI access globally. OpenAI aims to support local AI innovation by offering priority compute access to Norwegian startups and researchers, while surplus capacity will be made available to public and private sectors across the UK, Nordics, and Northern Europe.
“Large-scale compute capacity in Europe will help ensure that AI transformation benefits developers, scientists, startups, and communities across the region,” OpenAI said in its announcement.
Stargate Norway follows the launch of Stargate UAE earlier this year. OpenAI is also engaging with the Norwegian government to align with the country’s sovereign AI ambitions, and has made recent moves in Europe, including partnerships with the UK government and Estonia, and expressed interest in the EU’s AI gigafactories initiative.
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