OpenAI Norway data centre marks first European AI hub

OpenAI Norway data centre marks first European AI hub is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• The facility is a €1 billion ($1 billion) joint venture between Nscale and Aker, with OpenAI as the initial customer and offtaker.

• Stargate Norway will host 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by end‑2026, run entirely on renewable energy, and deliver 230 MW of capacity (expandable to 520 MW).

What happened: OpenAI unveils Stargate Norway

OpenAI has unveiled Stargate Norway, its inaugural European AI data centre, in partnership with British cloud infrastructure firm Nscale and Norwegian energy group Aker. The three parties will invest approximately €1 billion ($1 billion) in the first phase, with Nscale designing and building the site and Nscale and Aker each holding a 50 per cent stake.

Located near Narvik in northern Norway—a hydropower-rich, cool, and industrially mature region—the facility is expected to host around 100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2026, serving as one of the first AI “gigafactories” in Europe . It will operate on 100 per cent renewable energy, use closed‑loop, direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling, and channel excess heat into supporting low‑carbon enterprises locally . Initial power capacity is set at 230 MW, with expansion plans adding a further 290 MW as demand grows.

OpenAI has confirmed that the project falls under its broader Stargate initiative—following earlier deployments in the U.S. and UAE—and is part of its “OpenAI for Countries” programme aimed at expanding global infrastructure.

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Why it’s important

The launch of Stargate Norway highlights Europe’s intensifying drive for AI sovereignty. This follows the EU’s recent announcement of multibillion‑euro funding for AI infrastructure, including €10 billion to build AI “factories” and €20 billion as seed capital for the bloc’s sovereign compute ambition.

By providing local AI compute capacity, the project seeks to reduce reliance on U.S. and offshore cloud providers while supporting European startups, researchers and public sector actors—who will receive priority access to the centre’s resources. It also advances climate goals through renewable energy usage and innovative heat reuse.

The initiative is seen as a strategic bet on Norway’s future as a digital hub. Government officials have praised the project for delivering jobs and technological innovation to the region, while critics warn of potential strain on local electricity supply and environmental trade‑offs, calling for tighter regulation and oversight of new data centre developments.