According to OpenAI, the project will be one of the most ambitious AI infrastructure investments in Europe to date.
In a European first for Open AI and in partnership with Nscale, a UK AI cloud infrastructure company and Aker, a Norwegian energy infrastructure company, Open AI has announced plans to develop a data centre in Norway.
Stargate Norway will be launched under the OpenAI for Countries programme, an initiative within the Stargate project aimed at developing infrastructure for the AI and data boom.
In a statement, OpenAI explained that Stargate is their overarching infrastructure platform and a critical aspect of the long-term vision to make AI and its benefits more accessible.
OpenAI said that across Europe millions of people and organisations utilise ChatGPT and API everyday, with the number of Norwegian people using ChatGPT weekly having quadrupled in the past year, most of them under the age of 35.
“AI is a foundational technology that can boost productivity, drive economic growth and power new industries. Large-scale compute capacity in Europe will help ensure that this transformation benefits people and communities including developers, researchers, scientists and start-ups across Norway and Europe.”
The site, which will be located at Narvik, will be designed and built by Nscale and is expected to be owned in a 50/50 joint venture between Nscale and Aker. OpenAI said that it will be one of the most ambitious AI infrastructure investments in Europe to date.
“Narvik’s abundant hydropower, low-cost energy, cool climate and mature industrial base make it an ideal location to deliver large-scale, sustainable AI capacity.
“The facility will run entirely on renewable power and is expected to incorporate closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling to ensure maximum cooling efficiency. Additionally, excess heat from the GPU systems will be made available to support low-carbon enterprises in the region.”
The announcement comes at a time when the EU is making efforts to solidify Europe as a global leader in AI. In April of this year, the European Commission published the AI Continent Action Plan, which outlines the EU’s strategy to enhance competitiveness, innovation and regulation in Europe.
Speaking at the launch of the plan, Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said she believed that Europe was uniquely positioned to become an AI continent.
OpenAI recently signed a strategic partnership deal with the UK government that aims to expand the region’s AI endeavours, in areas such as infrastructure, data centres, security, education, justice and defence.
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