Starting next year, OpenAI will move into a brand new data center in Norway. It will be OpenAI’s first data center on European soil.
OpenAI is coming to Norway. The company announced this yesterday along with partners Nscale and Aker ASA during a video conference, reports Reuters. It will be OpenAI’s first European data center.
The new data center fits within the broader framework of the Stargate initiative of the U.S. government, of which OpenAI is one of the flag bearers. The costs are estimated at about one billion euros and will be borne by OpenAI’s partners. The AI company plans to be the first tenant in the data center next year. Whether OpenAI will be the exclusive user is still unclear.
Gigafactory
Nvidia has also been brought on board as a chip supplier. Initially, Nvidia will supply around one hundred thousand GB300 chips, but this could “increase tenfold” if the AI appetite of companies does not diminish quickly. To somewhat mitigate the environmental impact, the “gigafactory” will be fully powered by renewable energy from local hydropower production.
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OpenAI is significantly expanding its infrastructure. By independently building data centers, the company reduces its reliance on loyal partner Microsoft in the quest for more chips and server capacity.
Under the Stargate banner, OpenAI announced plans in May to set up a data center in the United Arab Emirates. The Norwegian climate is much more favorable for a data center than the hot desert climate of the Middle East.