Stargate Norway: Europe’s First AI Gigafactory

In a landmark expansion of its global AI ambitions, OpenAI has launched  Stargate Norway , its first major AI infrastructure project in Europe. The initiative, anchored in Kvandal near Narvik, Northern Norway, is a collaboration with Nscale Global and Aker ASA under the broader “OpenAI for Countries” initiative .

The facility is slated to host  100,000 Nvidia GPUs by the end of 2026 , initially powered by  230 megawatts  of clean hydropower, with capacity poised to expand to  520 MW  and the potential to scale operations tenfold in future phases .The project is underpinned by an estimated  US $1 billion  initial investment, jointly funded by Nscale and Aker .

According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the project underscores Europe’s need for  sovereign, scalable, and sustainable infrastructure  to support next-wave AI breakthroughs and economic progress in the region . Echoing this sentiment, Nscale’s CEO Josh Payne emphasized the blend of OpenAI’s leading models with Nscale’s vertically integrated cloud infrastructure aimed at enabling industrial resilience and public-sector innovation .

Norwegian officials have welcomed the project as a major value-creation opportunity, though some political parties—namely Rødt and SV—have voiced concerns over potential impacts on power prices and the environment, calling for stricter regulation and national oversight of data-center developments . Aker, for its part, insists the initiative harnesses surplus clean energy and will avoid significant natural disruption.

The Norwegian gigafactory arrives as the first European outpost of OpenAI’s ambitious Stargate venture—a $500 billion AI infrastructure effort originally launched in the U.S. Earlier phases of Stargate include a $100 billion build-out of supercomputing campuses in Texas, and plans for further expansions in the UAE and potentially other countries.

Source: Open AI and Data Centre Magazine
D.D.