While much of today's OpenAI chatter is about the new LLM, I wanted to make sure we had this on the blog - one more step toward making Norway the land of the midnight data centers (there were over 80 last I looked but none like this.)
From Tech Republic, August 1:
The data center will hold 100,100 NVIDIA GPUs and use entirely renewable energy, if all goes according to plan.
Norway will host OpenAI’s first AI data center in Europe, a key development under the company’s Stargate project, which aims to build the infrastructure needed for generative AI. The Stargate Norway initiative, which involves collaborations with companies such as Oracle and SoftBank, will bolster Europe’s computing capabilities.
“Stargate Norway will help provide the compute power to drive the next wave of AI breakthroughs and economic progress for Europe, in Europe,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.
What is OpenAI going to build in Norway?
The company plans to build a data center holding 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026. It will launch 230MW of capacity to start, with the possibility of expanding up to 290MW. The project is a joint venture between Nscale, an AI infrastructure provider based in Norway, and Aker, a Norwegian industrial investment company. Ownership will be split 50% between Aker and 50% between Nscale.“Sovereign, scalable and sustainable infrastructure is now essential to remain competitive,” said Nscale CEO Josh Payne. “We’re proud to partner with Aker, drawing on the team’s extensive experience and impressive track record, to deliver a new generation of AI economic and productivity growth in Europe.”
The facility will be located in Kvandal, a hamlet outside of the town of Narvik in the north of the country.
“With Stargate Norway, we’re creating new jobs, activity, and long-term opportunities in Narvik and the region,” said Øyvind Eriksen, president and CEO of Aker.
Powered by renewable energy
OpenAI will be an offtaker, which is an entity that purchases renewable energy, in a country where 98% of the power grid comes from renewable energy. The Stargate facility will run entirely on renewable power, OpenAI said....
....MUCH MORE