Tech entrepreneur Altman embarks on a Viking-inspired expedition, deploying a colossal supercluster of 100,000 GPUs in Norway.
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OpenAI's Stargate Norway, a substantial AI data center project, is set to take shape in Kvandal, near Narvik, Northern Norway. This initiative is a joint venture between London-based datacenter builder Nscale and Norwegian industrial investment group Aker ASA, with an initial investment of approximately $1 billion[1][2].
The facility is poised to add 230 megawatts of compute capacity to OpenAI's Stargate network, with potential for an additional 290 megawatts in the future, making it a formidable contender in the realm of AI infrastructure[1][3][4]. By the end of 2026, the facility aims to deploy 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs[1][2][3].
The facility will run entirely on renewable energy, harnessing the abundant, low-cost hydropower resources of Northern Norway, ensuring sustainable and energy-efficient operations. Advanced cooling technology, including closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, will be employed to maximize cooling efficiency[1][3]. This combination of renewable hydropower and a cool climate makes Narvik an ideal location for large-scale AI data infrastructure.
While OpenAI has not yet specified which GPUs will be deployed at the facility, it has mentioned that they will feature direct-to-chip liquid cooling, suggesting the possible use of either Nvidia's Grace Blackwell or upcoming Vera Rubin rack systems[1]. The Vera Rubin rack systems are set to make their debut next year[1].
The Stargate Norway facility marks OpenAI’s first gigafactory initiative in Europe, designed to support sovereign, scalable AI workloads across Europe while respecting local regulatory frameworks[1][2][3]. This project represents a significant $2 billion investment to foster AI development infrastructure in Europe, creating economic growth opportunities and advancing AI research on the continent[3].
[1] OpenAI's Stargate Norway AI Data Center Project Unveiled: https://www.openai.com/blog/stargate-norway/ [2] Aker ASA and Nscale to build Europe's largest AI data center: https://akerasa.com/en/news-and-media/aker-asa-and-nscale-to-build-europes-largest-ai-data-center/ [3] OpenAI partners with Aker ASA and Nscale to build a new AI supercomputer in Norway: https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/16/openai-partners-with-aker-asa-and-nscale-to-build-a-new-ai-supercomputer-in-norway/ [4] OpenAI's Stargate Norway: A New AI Compute Cluster in Europe: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/articles/openais-stargate-norway-a-new-ai-compute-cluster-in-europe/
- The enterprise-level AI data center project, Stargate Norway, in partnership with Nscale and Aker ASA, is set to invest approximately $2 billion, reinforcing the commitment to AI development infrastructure in Europe.
- The ambitious Stargate Norway data center, scheduled to deploy 100,000 NVIDIA GPUs by 2026, will run on renewable energy, drawing from the abundant hydropower resources of Northern Norway.
- By adding 230 megawatts of compute capacity to OpenAI's Stargate network and potentially an extra 290 megawatts in the future, Stargate Norway is primed to be a leading player in the data-and-cloud-computing technology industry.
- In line with OpenAI's plans, the state-of-the-art Stargate Norway facility aims to support AI workloads across Europe, employing advanced technologies such as closed-loop, direct-to-chip liquid cooling and potentially, the Vera Rubin rack systems, set to debut next year.
