OpenAI has officially announced the launch of its first European data center under the Stargate brand, marking a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence infrastructure beyond the United States. The new facility will be located in Kvamdal, Norway, leveraging the country’s vast hydropower resources and low electricity demand to support high-performance computing needs in a sustainable way.
Stargate Comes to Europe
The Stargate initiative initially debuted in the U.S. as a multi-partner infrastructure project involving OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank from Japan, and MGX from the UAE. The goal? To invest an astonishing $500 billion over the next four years into the global development of AI supercomputing infrastructure. With the latest move, Europe is now officially on that map.
In this new phase, the UK-based firm Nscale and Norway’s Aker, a company renowned for energy infrastructure, will collaborate on building the data center. Each has committed approximately $1 billion to the first stage of the project, which will start with a 20 MW capacity powered solely by renewable energy sources.
Why Norway?
The choice of Kvamdal in Northern Norway isn’t coincidental. The region is known for abundant hydroelectric power, low local electricity consumption, and limited grid congestion—all of which create an ideal environment for powering AI data infrastructure sustainably. This aligns with OpenAI’s public commitment to green technology and ethical scaling of artificial intelligence.
According to Josh Payne, CEO of Nscale, the facility aims to be more than just a data hub. It’s designed to be a gateway for AI innovation in Europe, allowing OpenAI to introduce region-specific services and tools tailored for European users. In essence, it’s not just about capacity—it’s about regional autonomy in AI infrastructure.
Future-Proof Infrastructure
The data center is set to deliver 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by the end of 2026, making it one of the most powerful AI data hubs in Europe. Furthermore, it is projected to reach 230 MW of renewable-powered capacity, positioning it among the continent’s top-tier data centers.
Notably, OpenAI will act as a capacity buyer, meaning it will lease computing power from the facility rather than own the entire infrastructure outright. This strategic flexibility enables OpenAI to scale operations without directly managing the physical hardware.
Conclusion
The Stargate project’s expansion into Norway represents a milestone not only for OpenAI but for Europe’s role in the AI revolution. It reflects a shift toward regional computing sovereignty, environmentally responsible growth, and the global democratization of artificial intelligence capabilities. As more players join the Stargate network, this initiative is poised to reshape the digital infrastructure of the 21st century—efficiently, sustainably, and intelligently.
