AI data centre startup Nscale raises $2B; Nvidia among backers

The global race to build artificial intelligence infrastructure is intensifying as demand for computing power grows across industries.

AI data centre startup Nscale said on Monday it has raised $2 billion in fresh funding at a $14.6 billion valuation, underscoring investor confidence in companies building the backbone of the AI economy.

The Series C round included major technology firms, financial institutions, and chip giant Nvidia, reflecting growing interest in the infrastructure needed to power advanced AI models.

The new funding will support Nscale’s effort to expand its integrated AI computing platform across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Funding round

The Series C round was led by Aker ASA and 8090 Industries and included participation from Nvidia.

The financing also drew backing from Astra Capital Management, Citadel, Dell, Jane Street, Lenovo, Linden Advisors, Nokia, and Point72.

The mix of investors highlights the wide interest in AI infrastructure as companies build the systems required to support increasingly complex artificial intelligence models.

Large technology groups and financial investors have been pouring capital into the sector as demand for computing capacity continues to expand.

Nscale said the latest funding will accelerate the development of its vertically integrated AI infrastructure platform.

The company is focused on combining GPU computing, networking systems, data services, and orchestration software within a single technology stack designed for AI workloads.

Infrastructure expansion

The company already operates data centres across several regions.

Its infrastructure footprint includes facilities in the UK, the US, Norway, Portugal, and Iceland.

These locations host high-performance computing environments built to handle the enormous processing requirements of artificial intelligence models.

Training and running modern AI systems requires large clusters of graphics processing units and specialised networking hardware.

By building integrated infrastructure, Nscale aims to simplify how organisations access and deploy computing resources needed for AI development.

The company said the fresh capital will support the expansion of its infrastructure platform across Europe, North America, and Asia as global demand for AI computing rises.

Tech partnerships

Alongside infrastructure development, Nscale has secured partnerships with major technology companies.

In October, the firm announced an expanded partnership with Microsoft that is expected to generate around $14 billion in business.

Earlier in the summer, Nscale also partnered with OpenAI to launch a Stargate branded AI data centre project in Norway.

The collaboration reflects growing demand for specialised infrastructure to support large scale AI development.

These agreements show how infrastructure providers are becoming central to the AI ecosystem as companies building models seek large computing environments.

IPO plans

Nscale is also exploring plans to go public as it expands its operations.

The company said in October that it is considering an initial public offering.

CEO and founder Josh Payne said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is driving one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in human history.

Companies developing AI technologies require vast computing resources to train increasingly powerful models.

As spending on AI hardware, chips, and data centres accelerates globally, firms building the infrastructure behind those systems are drawing significant investor interest.