OpenAI announced the launch of its first European artificial intelligence data center, "Stargate Norway," as part of its "OpenAI for Countries" initiative. The data center is located in Narvik and aims to provide large-scale computing power for Norway and the broader European AI ecosystem.

Stargate Norway is a 50/50 joint venture developed by OpenAI with infrastructure provider Nscale and industrial giant Aker. The facility is planned to have an initial capacity of 230 megawatts (MW) and plans to add another 290 MW, with a goal of deploying 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026.

OpenAI

Image source note: The image is AI-generated, and the image licensing service is Midjourney

This project will be entirely powered by renewable energy, making full use of Narvik's cool climate and abundant hydropower resources. The data center will also use advanced closed-loop direct chip liquid cooling technology to improve energy efficiency and recover excess heat generated by GPUs to support low-carbon enterprises in the region.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, stated that Stargate is an essential component of the company's infrastructure platform, aimed at achieving its vision of global AI accessibility. OpenAI hopes to support local AI innovation by providing priority computing resources to Norwegian startups and researchers. Additionally, any excess computing capacity from the data center will be made available to public and private sectors across the UK, Nordic countries, and other regions.

OpenAI stated in its announcement: "Establishing large-scale computing capabilities in Europe will ensure that the AI transformation benefits developers, scientists, startups, and communities in the region."

The launch of Stargate Norway follows the earlier launch of the Stargate project in the UAE this year. OpenAI is also engaging with the Norwegian government to align with the country's sovereign AI goals, and has recently been active in Europe, including collaborations with the UK government and Estonia, and has shown interest in the EU's AI mega-factory initiative.

Key points:

🌍 OpenAI launches its first European AI data center in Norway, aiming to provide large-scale computing power for the regional AI ecosystem.  

💡 The data center will be entirely powered by renewable energy and plans to deploy 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by 2026.  

🤝 OpenAI will prioritize computing resources for Norwegian startups and will make excess computing capacity available to public and private sectors across Europe.