Prime Highlights:
- London-based startup Nscalehas rapidly emerged as a key player in Europe’s technology infrastructure, securing partnerships with Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
- The company is set to build the K.’s largest supercomputer in Essex, with over 23,000 GPUs by 2027, demonstrating its fast growth and strong industry backing.
Key Facts:
- Nvidia invested £500 million ($683 million) in Nscale, showing confidence in the startup’s computing capabilities.
- Nscale plans to scale up to 350,000 GPUs by 2027and has nearly $700 million in fresh capital, highlighting its rapid expansion and ambitious infrastructure goals.
Key Background:
London-based startup Nscale has quickly made a name for itself in the global tech industry, securing major partnerships and funding that have positioned it as an important player in Europe’s technology sector.
The company, which spun out of crypto mining firm Arkon Energy in May 2024, has grown rapidly from obscurity. In just over a year, Nscale has gained support from major companies, including Nvidia, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Last December, the startup raised $155 million in its Series A round, and this week it announced several new collaborations highlighting its fast progress.
One of the most significant developments came as Microsoft and Nscale signed a five-year $6.2 billion agreement with Norwegian energy group Aker to develop large-scale AI infrastructure projects across Europe. The partnership includes building the U.K.’s largest supercomputer in Essex, which will have over 23,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs by 2027 and generate up to 90 megawatts of computing power.
Meanwhile, Nvidia invested £500 million ($683 million) in the company, showing strong confidence in Nscale’s ability to provide advanced computing infrastructure. OpenAI has also joined forces with Nscale to expand its Stargate data center project in Norway and the U.K., with plans to deploy tens of thousands of GPUs over the next few years.
Nscale’s founder and CEO, Josh Payne, said the company is addressing Europe’s pressing challenges in AI computing capacity and fragmented infrastructure. He emphasized that large-scale projects like these will help drive productivity growth and economic benefits across the region.
Industry analysts see Nscale as a key player in Europe’s goal to keep important computing infrastructure within the continent. The company’s growth is similar to U.S.-based CoreWeave, another former crypto-focused firm that successfully shifted to large-scale computing services.
With nearly $700 million in new funding, multibillion-dollar partnerships, and plans to expand to 350,000 GPUs by 2027, Nscale has quickly become one of Europe’s most important technology infrastructure companies.
